White House Border Coordinator Jacobson Leaving Role at End of Month

WASHINGTON - White House border coordinator Roberta Jacobson is leaving her job at the end of April, the White House said on Friday, a surprise move that solidified Vice President Kamala Harris' control over U.S. diplomatic efforts in Central America.

While the White House insisted Jacobson's departure was planned, the announcement still was unexpected as she had been engaged in media interviews in the hours 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" countries of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.