The Border Propagandist
Jaeson Jones, a former DPS captain-turned-MAGA influencer, is helping lay the groundwork for mass deportations and conflict with Mexico.
Francesca D'Annunzio
Francesca D'Annunzio is the Texas Observer's 2025 David McHam investigative reporting fellow. 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 D'Annunzio
Texas Gave $1 Million in Expert Contracts to Defend Border Buoys in Court
Records reveal additional costs of the controversial Rio Grande barrier that the governor describes as “low-cost.”
Will Texas Finally Wind Down Border Security Spending?
Top state officials have already made promises that, under Trump, money can be shifted to education. But that didn’t happen last time.
She Fled Mexico as a Child. Now, She Teaches Migrant Kids in Tamaulipas.
“When I see a mom with her child trying to cross, it's like I see myself in her.”
Texas Will Be on the ‘Front Lines’ of Mass Deportation
“We're going to defend our immigrant communities from Trump's attacks, while we hold Trump and people like Elon Musk accountable for spreading lies and scapegoating immigrants.”
Border 911: The Misinformation Network Profiting Off the ‘Invasion’ Narrative
Dark money and charity organizations led by former intelligence officers and ex-feds have been spreading propaganda and laying the groundwork for presidential election challenges.
How Mass Deportations Would ‘Devastate’ Texas
The Lone Star State is home to millions of undocumented residents and members of mixed-status families critical to the state’s economic success, yet Texas leaders are cheering on Trump anyway.
Greg Abbott’s Border ‘Theatrics’ Now Include Acting Like the State Department
Abbott’s latest bid to expand the bounds of his authority might introduce confusion abroad, experts say.
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.”
Observing the Borderlands
As the Texas Observer’s border reporter from 2008 to 2018, Melissa del Bosque investigated corruption and uncovered injustices.