Who Is Roberta Jacobson, Washington’s ‘Border Czar’?
When a new president is inaugurated, the changing-of-the-guard that commences at federal agencies across Washington, D.C., takes place at U.S. embassies around the world, too. It’s a Washington ritual: In many high-profile nations, the new president replaces his predecessor’s staffers with his own picks.
During his 2016 campaign, former President Donald Trump was critical of Mexico and promised to build a wall along the southern border to keep out Latin American migrants. But after winning the election, Trump did not move to replace former President Barack Obama’s appointed ambassador to Mexico, Roberta Jacobson. Rather, the career civil servant, who assumed her role in May 2016, remained as ambassador until May 2018, more than a year after Trump took office.