Katie Tobin, the White House's chief of staff on immigration, is stepping down after three years on the National Security Council, according to reports.
Tobin originally planned to resign as senior border security director last summer, but the Biden administration persuaded him to stay on until the end of the year, NBC News reported.
Tobin's resignation comes as the administration faces intense criticism over its handling of immigrants who cross the southern border illegally.
Tobin was part of a U.S. delegation that traveled to Mexico to discuss what could be done to reduce illegal immigration, and last year led Title 42 planning for the end of the Trump era.
As Texas faces possible standoff with federal government, governor says border is like Biden: 'Make a deal with the cartels.'
Migrants in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, January 17th. (Christian Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images)
In a statement to NBC News, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan called Tobin “tenacious and committed” to immigration efforts.
He added: “We will miss Katie's positive attitude and thoughtful contributions to an incredibly complex portfolio, and we wish her all the best.”
FOX News Digital has reached out to the White House and National Security Council for comment.
Noem promises to ship razor wire to Texas if Biden stops Abbott
An NSC spokesperson told NBC News that Tobin's replacement has not yet been chosen.
Just this week, Border Patrol agents near El Paso, Texas, arrested 40 migrants involved in two people-smuggling operations, as encounter rates at the border hit a record high last month, shattering previous statistics.
Border Patrol agents and the Texas National Guard are investigating an area near the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Benjamin Loewy, Fox News Digital)
Customs and Border Protection officials told Fox News Digital that the number of encounters with migrants will reach a staggering 300,000 in the final months of 2023, an increase unimaginable just a few years ago. He said he reached a level he had never been able to reach before.
From December 1st to December 31st, more than 302,000 migrants were recorded attempting to cross the US southern border.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
This was the highest single-month total ever. This is also the first time that the number of encounters with immigrants has exceeded 300,000.
FOX News' Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
