Ambassador to Mexico quits amid strained ties
WASHINGTON — Roberta Jacobson, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico and one of the State Department’s most experienced Latin America hands, said Thursday that she is quitting in what appeared to be fallout from the Trump administration’s roiling relations with Mexico.
Jacobson, who spent 31 years as a diplomat, becomes the latest veteran foreign service officer to step down in an exodus of senior talent under Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, amid low morale and drastic budget cuts at the State Department.
Joseph Yun, special representative on North Korea, resigned earlier this week, and John Feeley, the U.S. ambassador to Panama, announced his decision to leave in January. Feeley said he could no longer advocate for U.S. policy in the Trump administration.
The bureau that handles Latin America, the Western Hemisphere Affairs office, has been hard-hit even as Washington and Mexico seek to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, battle over immigration issues, cooperate on interdiction of drug trafficking and organized crime, and face other joint concerns.
In addition to Jacobson and Feeley, a 28-year veteran, Tom Shannon, undersecretary for political affairs, announced his retirement last month after 34 years at State.
President Donald Trump has yet to nominate an assistant secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, and Tillerson has faced criticism from members of Congress and foreign policy experts who say he is steadily dismantling the State Department. He has said he is trying to streamline operations.
Jacobson’s departure comes at a difficult time in U.S.-Mexican relations. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto called off an official visit to the White House — for the second time — after a testy phone call with Trump on Feb. 20.
Trump reportedly insisted on the call that Mexico pay to build a border wall, as he had vowed during the 2016 campaign.
Jacobson, 57, did not mention the bilateral tensions in her resignation memo, which was distributed to employees of the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, She said her resignation will take effect May 5, the Cinco de Mayo holiday.
“This decision is all the more difficult because of my profound belief in the importance of the U.S.Mexico relationship and knowledge that it is at a crucial moment,” she wrote.
Jacobson saw her authority undercut at times as Mexico’s finance minister and later foreign minister, Luis Videgaray, built a backchannel relationship to the White House through Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-inlaw and senior adviser.
Trump had given Kushner the Mexico portfolio, among other responsibilities, and Videgaray has visited the White House without telling the State Department.
Jacobson previously served as assistant secretary of State for Western Hemisphere affairs, built up security cooperation between Washington and Mexico City, and played a key role in renewing U.S. diplomatic ties with Cuba under former President Barack Obama.
Special correspondent Cecilia Sanchez contributed from Mexico City.