© Provided by Washington Examiner President Joe Biden has entrusted a committee of sorts composed of top officials to handle the crisis at the southern border, the White House said, days after his border coordinator announced plans to step down.
"It is not a one-woman, even a one-woman job, it is a multi-high-level official job," press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Thursday, describing a governmentwide approach to the effort that includes top Cabinet officials and diplomats, as well as the vice president.
"[Homeland Security] Secretary Mayorkas is playing, obviously, a significant role, overseeing the Border Patrol facilities, overseeing a lot of steps and policy proposals that are coming about the border. The secretary of Health and Human Services oversees the shelters," Psaki said, referring to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.
She added, "This is an interagency process as it should be and as it has always been."
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Biden has faced calls from Congress to do more to address the flood of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum at the border, numbers that have overwhelmed federal capacity.
Psaki's response comes amid news that Biden's designated border coordinator will leave the White House at the end of the month.
Roberta Jacobson, a former ambassador to Mexico, has handled key relationships with Northern Triangle governments in Central America since joining the president's National Security Council, a position that entails coordinating White House strategy with government agencies.
On Friday, Jacobson told the New York Times that she would step down at the end of April.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said Jacobson's announcement was consistent with earlier plans, in spite of the crisis, and that she had intended to serve for about 100 days before leaving government.
"She will do so having shaped our relationship with Mexico as an equal partner, having launched our renewed efforts with the Northern Triangle nations of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, and having underscored this Administration's commitment to reenergizing the U.S. immigration system," Sullivan said in a statement.
Sullivan then pointed to Vice President Kamala Harris as Jacobson's prospective heir.
"The Vice President is overseeing a whole-of-government approach supported by outstanding public servants across the interagency," Sullivan said, naming among them Mayorkas and Becerra.
Biden last month said he was charging Harris with forging a diplomatic solution to the migration crisis, a role akin to one he held as vice president under former President Barack Obama.
Harris, who has met virtually with the presidents of Guatemala and Honduras and with regional experts since the announcement, has come under criticism from Republicans, who charge that she is avoiding the politically fraught issues at the border.
Harris said this week that while she intends to travel to the Northern Triangle, she does not plan to visit the U.S.-Mexico border.
Psaki said she found the reaction surprising.
"This confusion is very perplexing to me," she said. "I have to be honest."
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Asked on Thursday about Jacobson's departure, Psaki said Mayorkas "will continue to play a predominant role" and also pointed to the State Department special envoy for the Northern Triangle, Ricardo Zuniga.
"And, of course, the vice president will continue to play a role in the Northern Triangle as well," she added.
Tags: News, White House, Biden Administration, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Border, Border Crisis, Jen Psaki, Kamala Harris
Original Author: Katherine Doyle
Original Location: No single point person for border situation, White House says