US Ambassador to Mexico Resigns

The US ambassador to Mexico, Roberta Jacobson, is resigning from her post this spring, amid strained relations between the two countries and on the heels of other notable departures from the State Department. In a note sent to embassy staff Thursday, Jacobson, a career diplomat, wrote that after more than 31 years in government service, she has submitted her resignation and it takes effect May 5, two years to the day after she was sworn in as ambassador, the AP reports. "I have come to the difficult decision that it is the right time to move on to new challenges and adventures," she wrote.

Diplomatic ties between Washington and Mexico City have been strained under the Trump administration amid the president's tough stance and sharp rhetoric on migration and trade, and repeated vows to build a border wall and force Mexico to pay for it. Jacobson is the United States' first female ambassador to Mexico. During her tenure in the country, she has taken special interest in and spoken frequently about issues such as the violence against women, human rights, and the killings of journalists in the country. She tweeted that she will leave "with Mexico in my soul and in my heart." (After a conversation with Trump, Mexico's president scrapped a visit to the US.)