White House border coordinator leaving at month’s end

Steve Holland/REUTERS

Updated: Apr 9, 2021 / 04:06 PM CDT

TOPSHOT – A general view of the US border fence, covered in concertina wire, separating the US and Mexico, at the outskirts of Nogales, Arizona, on February 9, 2019. (Photo by Ariana Drehsler / AFP)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — White House border coordinator Roberta Jacobson is leaving her job at the end of April, the White House said on Friday, a move that comes weeks after Vice President Kamala Harris took over U.S. diplomatic efforts with Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

“Consistent with her commitment at the outset to serve in the administration’s first 100 days, Ambassador Jacobson will retire from her role as coordinator at the end of this month,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement.

Ambassador Roberta Jacobson’s leadership in serving as the Special Assistant to the President and Coordinator for the Southwest Border at the National Security Council has been an invaluable contribution to the Biden-Harris Administration and to the United States. Ambassador Jacobson dedicated her career to working tirelessly to advance U.S. interests in the Western Hemisphere, including as the United States Ambassador to Mexico, and President Biden knew there was no person better to usher in a more safe, secure, and just approach to our Southern Border. Consistent with her commitment at the outset to serve in the Administration’s first 100 days, Ambassador Jacobson will retire from her role as Coordinator at the end of this month. She will do so having shaped our relationship with Mexico as an equal partner, having launched our renewed efforts with the Northern Triangle nations of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, and having underscored this Administration’s commitment to reenergizing the U.S. immigration system. President Biden has asked Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the Administration’s work on our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle, a testament to the importance this administration places on improving conditions in the region. The Vice President is overseeing a whole-of-government approach supported by outstanding public servants across the interagency including Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, who were tasked by the President at the beginning of the administration to rebuild our immigration system.
Statement from National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan

(Reporting By Steve Holland Editing by Chris Reese)