Priscila Mosqueda

Priscila Mosqueda
Priscila Mosqueda is an editorial intern for the Observer and graduated with a bachelor's in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin in 2012. Her work has been published in the San Antonio Express-News, San Antonio Magazine, ENVY Magazine and "Forty Acres of Fun," a book about the unique culture and traditions of the University of Texas.
  • john cornyn

    Texas Senators Split as U.S. Congress Takes Up Immigration Reform

    Despite Sen. Ted Cruz’s failed attempt to block the legislation, senators voted 82-15 to debate the bill, which would provide an eventual and conditional pathway to citizenship for the country’s estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants. Texas’ other Senator John Cornyn voted to move the bill forward but then offered an amendment, which two bill negotiators referred to as a “poison pill.” Full Story
  • Rio Grande

    On the Border, a Struggle over Water

    More than ever, the replenishing waters of Mexico’s Rio Conchos are crucial to reviving the Rio Grande and to saving farmers in the Rio Grande Valley. Full Story
  • Workers Defense Project staff and supporters perform inside Capitol rotunda on Workers’ Memorial Day to commemorate workers who have died on the job and push bills that would improve conditions for workers in Texas.

    El Paso Becomes Second City to Indict Employer for Wage Theft

    In 2011, Austin-based Workers Defense Project successfully lobbied for the wage theft code amendment, authored by Senator Jose Rodriguez (D-El Paso), that made it harder for employers to get away with stealing workers’ wages. The amendment to the Texas criminal code closed a loophole which allowed employers to get away with paying employees only partially for their work without facing criminal charges. El Paso has become the first city outside of Austin to indict an employer for stealing wages. Full Story
  • whooping cranes

    Whooping Cranes Lawsuit Could Change Texas Water Rights

    “Texas has already recognized that instream flows are extremely important; the whooping crane is just a measuring stick for how well we’re doing,” says Amy Hardberger, a water law professor at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. “Apparently we’re not doing very well.” Full Story
  • Pipes for the Keystone Pipeline.

    House Bill Tackles Pipeline Companies’ Eminent Domain Powers

    This common carrier status, which means the company is carrying competitors’ products as well as its own to serve the public good, grants companies the right to take land without getting landowners’ consent. Oliveira’s House Bill 3547 attempts to set up a process to ensure companies claiming the status are actually common carriers. The House Business and Industry Committee discussed the bill last night. Full Story
  • A protest tree sit in East Texas.

    The Keystone XL Battle Comes to East Texas

    IN A RURAL TOWN IN East Texas, a battle is being waged between a multinational energy corporation and an alliance of rural landowners and [...] Full Story

  • Taking on Gulf Chemical in Freeport

    Three months ago, Melanie Oldham moved from Angleton to a tiny old home in downtown Freeport, a southeast Texas town that lies in the [...] Full Story

  • Taken

    Rebecca Montalvo pushed through the busy aisles at Toys ‘R’ Us in Brownsville. It was the start of the Christmas season in 2008. She [...] Full Story

  • Organizing Asarco Workers

    When he took the job at American Smelting and Refining Company in 1972, Carlos Rodriguez was proud to work at a plant that had [...] Full Story