U.S. troops will spend a month painting a portion of the border wall along the southern border to improve its “aesthetic appearance,” according to an email sent by the Department of Homeland Security to congressional lawmakers, CBS News reports.
"While the primary purpose is to improve the aesthetic appearance of the wall, there may also be an operational benefit based on our experience with painted barrier in Nogales, Arizona," an email from DHS read, explaining how there "may also be an operational benefit" to painting it as "individuals appeared to have greater difficulty" scaling recently painted bollards in Nogales, Arizona.
The move is being criticized by some Democratic lawmakers as a waste of taxpayer money.
"DHS informed Congress today that troops are going to spend the next month painting the border wall & "the primary purpose is to improve the aesthetic appearance,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., tweeted.
"A disgraceful misuse of taxpayer $$. Our military has more important work to do than making Trump's wall beautiful.”
Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro told CBS News the assignment was a "gross misuse" of the military.
"These are soldiers, they are not painters,” he said.
The Pentagon has deployed 3,000 active duty troops and 2,000 National Guard personnel to support border security at the southern border.
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