White House border coordinator Jacobson leaving at month's end -White House

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki holds a press briefing at the White House in Washington
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Steve Holland
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By Steve Holland

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 in Central America.

While the White House insisted Jacobson's departure was planned, the announcement still came as a surprise as she had been engaged in media interviews in the days leading up to her announcement and had shown no sign of planning to step down.

"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.

The statement made no mention of a replacement for the role, saying only that Harris had been asked by President Joe Biden to lead the administration's work with Mexico and the 'Northern Triangle' of Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

The White House has struggled to contain the flow of migrants across the U.S. southern border with Mexico, creating an early challenge for Biden. The United States has sent a mixed message to the region, saying the border is closed but that unaccompanied children will be provided shelter.

Sullivan said Jacobson, the former U.S. ambassador to Mexico, had launched renewed diplomatic efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle nations, and helped the Biden administration's "commitment to reenergizing the U.S. immigration system."

(Reporting by Steve HollandEditing by Chris Reese and Rosalba O'Brien)

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