Melissa del Bosque
The Eyes Above Texas
THE EYES ABOVE TEXAS An Observer analysis finds that DPS’ spy planes are flying over Texas communities, with little oversight. – by G.W. Schulz and Melissa del Bosque May 23, 2018 In recent years, the Texas Department of Public Safety … Read More
Tracking DPS Across the Sky: How We Did It
Tracking DPS Across the Sky: How We Did It To find out where the Texas Department of Public Safety flies its two surveillance aircraft, the Texas Observer and the Investigative Fund teamed up to analyze commercially available flight data that … Read More
A Bridge Over Troubled Water
Problems plague the Tornillo-Guadalupe Port of Entry and International Bridge after federal and local governments invested millions in the project.
In February 2016, Texas’ newest and largest port of entry opened to great fanfare 35 miles east of El Paso. The brand-new, six-lane toll bridge between Guadalupe, Mexico, and Tornillo, Texas, was supposed to spur economic revitalization in one of … Read More
National Butterfly Center Sues Trump Administration Over Border Wall
“Everyone should care when the federal government thinks it can do whatever it wants on your private property.”
The National Butterfly Center filed a lawsuit in Washington D.C. Monday against the Department of Homeland Security demanding that the Trump administration conduct federally required environmental assessments, and follow the constitution and legal due process before attempting to build a … Read More
After Observer Story, Congressman Questions DEA’s Secretive Surveillance Partnership with Texas National Guard
“I want to know why a federal law enforcement agency is working with a military unit,” Congressman Joaquin Castro said in an interview.
Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro is asking the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to explain its role in the use of controversial cellphone spying devices on surveillance aircraft owned by the Texas National Guard, after the Observer first reported on the partnership … Read More
After Observer Report, Watchdog Requests Investigation into Border Wall Gag Order
“Whistleblowers are the nation’s first line of defense,” says watchdog group.
A nonprofit watchdog group is demanding an investigation into whether U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials violated federal law by instructing federal employees and contractors not to speak to the press or public about the construction of Trump’s border … Read More
The Documents Behind Trump’s Texas Border Wall Plans
The records give the most in-depth picture to date of where and how the Trump administration plans to build the president’s “big, beautiful wall.”
Last week the Observer revealed U.S. Army Corps of Engineers documents that show where the Trump administration plans to build 33 miles of border wall in South Texas. Churches, cemeteries, hundreds of homeowners, retirees at an RV park and three … Read More
Human Rights Lawyer on How Government is Complicit in Mexico’s Drug War
Through corruption and intimidation, many Coahuila state authorities coordinated with the Zetas and let them operate with impunity.
More than a decade into a violent conflict that seems nowhere near being resolved, Mexico is a country haunted by the missing. The Mexican government estimates that more than 32,000 people have disappeared in the last decade — a statistic … Read More