Texas State Police Gear Up for Massive Expansion of Surveillance Tech
DPS plans to spend millions in taxpayer dollars on a controversial software, used first as part of Governor Abbott’s border crackdown, to “disrupt potential domestic terrorism.”
Francesca DAnnunzio
Francesca D'Annunzio is a Roy W. Howard investigative reporting fellow at the Texas Observer. D’Annunzio has reported on topics ranging from deportations in the Dominican Republic, Christian nationalism, US-Mexico border colonias, right-wing sheriffs, to zoning and housing policy in Texas. Her work has been published or syndicated in The Guardian US, The Dallas Morning News, Religion News Service, The Global Investigative Journalism Network, The Texas Standard, and The Arizona Republic, among others. She received her master’s in investigative journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University and is an alumna of the Arabic Flagship and Humanities programs at The University of Texas at Austin. She is proficient in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Arabic.
Articles by Francesca DAnnunzio
Observing the Borderlands
As the Texas Observer’s border reporter from 2008 to 2018, Melissa del Bosque investigated corruption and uncovered injustices.
A Rancher Who Leads a Paramilitary-Style Group Sues Biden over Border Policies
The rancher is joined by a rural Texas sheriff, who has collaborated with vigilantes, in the legal challenge to federal immigration policies.
Greg Abbott Compares Hamas Attacks to Texas Border Crossings at Sheriffs’ Conference
The governor’s comments followed a screening of raw October 7 footage for Texas lawmen.
‘Tech Doesn’t Just Stay at the Border’: Petra Molnar on Surveillance’s Long Reach
“The border is like a free-for-all, this frontier zone that is a perfect laboratory for tech experimentation.”
Kinney County Sheriff to Buy Pepper Ball Guns for Deterring Migrants Who ‘Try To Storm The Point of Entry’
Following the Texas National Guard’s example, the border county approved the purchase of “less lethal” weapons using state funds.
‘We Are People Too’: Scenes of Migration in Matamoros and Reynosa
Even before Biden’s recent executive order, asylum-seekers were waiting for months in dangerous Mexican border towns for an appointment to cross into Texas.
Border Vigilantes Are Blurring the Lines of Law Enforcement
Armed groups in Arizona and Texas are collaborating with and courting police and immigration agents—with alarming results.
Mourning Migrants—with the Military’s Permission
In Eagle Pass, the faithful gather in a state-occupied park to recognize fallen migrants.
The State Says Shelby Park Is Open. Some Locals Beg to Differ.
The experiences of Eagle Pass residents and a journalist contradict government statements, which themselves are inconsistent, about access to a public park.