The United States ambassador to Mexico left Mexico City on Saturday for the last time as part of an official visit, marking a nearly two-year occupation of the position.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico first announced Ambassador Roberta Jacobson’s departure from the Mexican capital, saying that she will be flying back to the U.S. on a commercial plane.
“I am sad to leave Mexico, but take with me a deep affection for this marvelous country and the Mexican people. I believe we have made great strides in our bilateral relationship,” Jacobson said in a statement. “I am not saying goodbye, but rather so long for now.”
Jacobson also wrote in a tweet that serving as Washington’s ambassador to Mexico was her professional highlight.
“Representing [the United States] in Mexico was the position of my life,” Jacobson tweeted in Spanish. “Thanks to this beautiful country and its people. I see a prosperous future for Mexico.”
Jacobson announced in March that she is going to retire from the position. She was at the State Department for 30 years, mainly focusing on Western Hemisphere issues.
In March, Jacobson said that she felt it was time to “move on to new challenges and adventures,” adding that her decision was made difficult by the fact that the U.S.-Mexico relationship had reached a crucial juncture.
“I have come to the difficult decision that it is the right time to move on to new challenges and adventures,” Jacobson wrote in the memo. “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.”
Jacobson’s statement announcing her decision to retire did not mention President Donald Trump. However, her departure comes during a period of heightened tensions between the U.S. and Mexico as Trump is vowing to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
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