Melissa del Bosque

Melissa del Bosque joined The Texas Observer staff in 2008. She specializes in reporting on immigration and the U.S.-Mexico border. Her work has been published in national and international publications including TIME magazine and the Mexico City-based Nexos magazine. She has a master’s in public health from Texas A&M University and a master’s in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.

Observer Panel at SXSW Interactive: Tweeting the Drug War (Video)Mar 14, 2013
What can the most censored state in Mexico teach others about freedom of expression during a devastating drug war? Full Story

A Restaurateur Has a Thing (or Two) to Teach the GOP About Immigration ReformFeb 04, 2013
The Texas Republican Party could learn a thing or two from the hospitality business. “At one of my restaurants, if I were to turn my back on my customers or treat them rudely, they wouldn’t come back,” he said. “That’s how the Republican Party treats Hispanics.” Full Story
If It Were Up To Us…Jan 06, 2013
We detail a dozen items that deal with the biggest problems in the state. Some of them are liberal fantasies (ahem, income tax) but others are sound public policy ideas that Texans of all ideologies support because they would improve the lives of millions of people. Full Story
Return to the Valley of DeathJan 03, 2013
In November, Mexican officials uncovered 15 shallow graves near an unfinished house on “La Colorada” ranch in Ejido Jesus Carranza. Full Story
Rick Perry’s Refusal to Expand Texas’ Medicaid Program Could Result In Thousands of DeathsJan 02, 2013
Texas Gov. Rick Perry is among several governors, mostly southern and Republican, who are resisting Medicaid expansion. If Texas doesn’t expand Medicaid, it will reject more than $100 billion in federal money the first decade, according to the state’s own figures. Full Story
KochworldDec 29, 2012
Until her son got sick, Latricia Jones never thought much about the air she breathes or who was polluting it. At 31, she’d spent nearly her entire life in Corpus Christi’s Hillcrest neighborhood, living next to two oil refineries, one owned by Citgo and the other by Flint Hills Resources, a subsidiary of Koch Industries, Inc. Full Story

The Priest Who Travels With BodyguardsApr 29, 2013
Father Alejandro Solalinde isn't well known in the United States. But in Mexico, he is recognized for his bravery. He dares to speak out about corrupt government officials, and organized crime, and he shelters migrants from the cartels. Full Story
Why Blog del Narco Became Mexico’s Most Important WebsiteApr 03, 2013
As Mexico’s media outlets stopped reporting on the cartels and the government remained silent, Blog del Narco, launched in March 2010, began to fill the void. Full Story
The Deadliest Place In MexicoApr 01, 2013
The Observer’s Melissa del Bosque was named a finalist today for a National Magazine Award for this story. Full Story
The Shadow of the SonMar 27, 2013
Can Sheriff Lupe Treviño's legacy survive the indictments and accusations of corruption in his department? Full Story
If It Were Up To Us…Jan 06, 2013
We detail a dozen items that deal with the biggest problems in the state. Some of them are liberal fantasies (ahem, income tax) but others are sound public policy ideas that Texans of all ideologies support because they would improve the lives of millions of people. Full Story