https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/vianna-davila-the-texas-tribune-and-propublica/The latest news by Vianna Davila.enFri, 17 Jan 2025 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/17/trump-ken-paxton-doj-investigation/Donald Trump and the Texas attorney general have forged a friendship over the years, one that has been cemented in their shared political and legal struggles and their willingness to come to each other’s aid at times of upheaval.By Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaFri, 17 Jan 2025 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/17/trump-ken-paxton-doj-investigation/https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/05/texas-2024-election-voting-issues/Tell us about any trouble you have trying to vote, so we can continue to report on potential challenges Texans may face at the ballot box.By Vianna Davila and Jessica Priest, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, and María Méndez, The Texas TribuneTue, 05 Nov 2024 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/05/texas-2024-election-voting-issues/Francisco Hinojosa, 71, who declares himself as a straight democrat, poses for a photo after voting at Lark Branch Library in McAllen, Texas on Oct. 22, 2024.Francisco Hinojosa, 71, who declares himself as a straight democrat, poses for a photo after voting at Lark Branch Library in McAllen, Texas on Oct. 22, 2024.Verónica Gabriel Cárdenas for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/29/texas-noncitizen-voter-roll-removal-mary-howard-elley/Mary Howard-Elley is the 10th U.S. citizen identified by ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and Votebeat whose registration was canceled after her citizenship was questioned. Her saga shows how tough it can be for eligible voters to get reinstated.By Lexi Churchill, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, James Barragán, The Texas Tribune, Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, and Natalia Contreras, VotebeatTue, 29 Oct 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/29/texas-noncitizen-voter-roll-removal-mary-howard-elley/Mary Howard-Elley, 52, a Splendora resident, was removed from the state’s voter rolls after being inaccurately labeled as a noncitizen.Mary Howard-Elley, 52, a Splendora resident, was removed from the state’s voter rolls after being inaccurately labeled as a noncitizen.Danielle Villasana for ProPublica and The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/16/exas-noncitizen-voting-proof-of-citizenship/Gov. Greg Abbott gave an inflated number of noncitizens removed from the state’s voter rolls, officials acknowledged, confirming findings by ProPublica, The Texas Tribune, and Votebeat.By James Barragán, The Texas Tribune, Lexi Churchill, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, Natalia Contreras, Votebeat and The Texas Tribune, Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, and Jen Fifield, VotebeatWed, 16 Oct 2024 20:19:45 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/16/exas-noncitizen-voting-proof-of-citizenship/Ken Cuccinelli, a former acting director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and former acting deputy secretary of DHS, speaks at a state Senate hearing at the Texas Capitol on Oct. 16, 2024.Ken Cuccinelli, a former acting director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and former acting deputy secretary of DHS, speaks at a state Senate hearing at the Texas Capitol on Oct. 16, 2024.Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/16/texas-legislature-voter-rolls-noncitizens/Here’s what you need to know after a ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and Votebeat investigation found that Gov. Greg Abbott likely inflated the number of noncitizens on voter rolls.By Vianna Davila and Lexi Churchill, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, James Barragán, The Texas Tribune, and Natalia Contreras, Votebeat and The Texas TribuneWed, 16 Oct 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/16/texas-legislature-voter-rolls-noncitizens/Voting signs direct voters outside of the Rolling Fork Castle Club during Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023 in Houston. The castle was built in the late 1970s and has served as a voting location for almost forty years.Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/15/texas-noncitizen-voter-roll-removal-included-americans/An investigation by ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and Votebeat found that U.S. citizens were incorrectly labeled as noncitizens or removed from the rolls because they did not respond to letters about their citizenship.By Lexi Churchill and Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, James Barragán, The Texas Tribune, and Natalia Contreras, VotebeatTue, 15 Oct 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/15/texas-noncitizen-voter-roll-removal-included-americans/Gov. Gregg Abbott speaks at a podium in a photo collage that also includes a sign for a polling location.Photo illustration by Tiffany Herring/ProPublica. Source images: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune, Montinique Monroe/The Texas Tribune.https://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/11/texas-attorney-general-ken-paxton-investigations-request-to-examine/A federal judge said Texas’ “request to examine” statute amounts to unconstitutional search and seizure, Bloomberg reported.By Alejandro Serrano and Kayla Guo, The Texas Tribune, and Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaFri, 11 Oct 2024 19:48:01 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/11/texas-attorney-general-ken-paxton-investigations-request-to-examine/https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/26/texas-ken-paxton-las-americas-investigation-lawsuit-immigrants/Attorney General Ken Paxton has investigated at least five organizations this year that do immigration-related work.By Alejandro Serrano, The Texas Tribune, and Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaThu, 26 Sep 2024 10:07:35 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/26/texas-ken-paxton-las-americas-investigation-lawsuit-immigrants/Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during the Texas GOP Convention on May 23, 2024 in San Antonio.Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during the Texas GOP Convention on May 23, 2024 in San Antonio.Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/02/texas-el-paso-annunciation-house-ruling/Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office has accused Annunciation House, which operates a network of migrant shelters, of human smuggling.By Alejandro Serrano and Robert Downen, The Texas Tribune, and Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaTue, 02 Jul 2024 11:26:09 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/02/texas-el-paso-annunciation-house-ruling/A crowd gathers a press conference at Annunciation House in El Paso on Feb. 23, 2024. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the migrant shelter, accusing it of operating a stash house and human trafficking. A judge on Tuesday ruled in favor of Annunciation House, which has been providing aid and shelter to migrants in El Paso for decades.A crowd of people gathers in support of Annunciation House during the press conference. Earlier this week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, announced a lawsuit against the migrant shelter Annunciation House for allegedly operating a stash house and human trafficking. Annunciation House has been providing aid and shelter to migrants in El Paso, Texas for more than 40 years. February 23, 2024Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/30/texas-ken-paxton-consumer-protection-law-investigations/Attorneys general have increasingly used their power to pursue investigations targeting organizations whose work conflicts with their political views. Paxton is among the most aggressive.By Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaThu, 30 May 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/30/texas-ken-paxton-consumer-protection-law-investigations/Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, left, has been using consumer protection laws to target organizations like Annunciation House, run by Ruben Garcia, right, whose work conflicts with Paxton’s political views. El Paso-based Annunciation House serves immigrants and refugees seeking shelter.Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, left, has been using consumer protection laws to target organizations like Annunciation House, run by Ruben Garcia, right, whose work conflicts with Paxton’s political views. El Paso-based Annunciation House serves immigrants and refugees seeking shelter.Photo illustration by ProPublica. Source photos: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune, Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/30/ken-paxton-texas-ag-political-targets-health-care-lgbtq/The attorney general repeatedly uses laws meant to protect against fraudulent or deceptive practices to target hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and LGBTQ+ groups.By Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaThu, 30 May 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/30/ken-paxton-texas-ag-political-targets-health-care-lgbtq/Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, right, is using consumer protection laws to target organizations like Annunciation House, run by Ruben Garcia, left, whose work conflicts with Paxton’s political views.Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, right, is using consumer protection laws to target organizations like Annunciation House, run by Ruben Garcia, left, whose work conflicts with Paxton’s political views.Photo illustration by ProPublica. Source photos: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune, Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/19/us-army-soldiers-violent-crimes/The change comes after reporting from ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and Military Times revealed that hundreds of soldiers charged with offenses like sexual assault and domestic violence left the Army without facing courts-martial.By Vianna Davila and Lexi Churchill, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, and Davis Winkie, Military TimesFri, 19 Apr 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/19/us-army-soldiers-violent-crimes/Joan Wong for ProPublica and The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/31/ken-paxton-medicaid-fraud-unit/After the chief of the attorney general’s Civil Medicaid Fraud Division was forced out last year, two-thirds of attorneys have quit the unit, leaving it at its smallest size since Paxton took office.By Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaWed, 31 Jan 2024 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/31/ken-paxton-medicaid-fraud-unit/Nearly two-thirds of the lawyers for Texas’ Civil Medicaid Fraud Division have quit under Attorney General Ken Paxton, which former staffers say will leave the elite unit less equipped to weed out fraud and abuse in the Medicaid system.Nearly two-thirds of the lawyers for Texas’ Civil Medicaid Fraud Division have quit under Attorney General Ken Paxton, which former staffers say will leave the elite unit less equipped to weed out fraud and abuse in the Medicaid system.Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/19/texas-attorney-general-ken-paxton-judd-stone-chris-hilton/Emails obtained by The Texas Tribune show the attorneys were expected to return to work after the impeachment trial ended and their extended absence raised concerns internally about the offices’ ability to function properly.By Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, and Patrick Svitek, The Texas TribuneThu, 19 Oct 2023 14:44:45 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/19/texas-attorney-general-ken-paxton-judd-stone-chris-hilton/Chris Hilton and Judd Stone, former lawyers at the Office of the Attorney General.Chris Hilton and Judd Stone, former lawyers at the Office of the Attorney General.https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/21/texas-ken-paxton-refused-represent-state-agencies/The Texas attorney general said he’s “back to work” after his recent acquittal, but his office has repeatedly declined to fulfill one of its key duties: representing state agencies who are being sued.By Jessica Priest and Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaThu, 21 Sep 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/21/texas-ken-paxton-refused-represent-state-agencies/Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during his impeachment trial last week. He was ultimately acquitted.Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/05/ken-paxton-state-agencies/Records obtained by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune give deeper insight into how Paxton’s representation denials often pushed agencies to look for outside legal counsel that was ultimately funded by taxpayers.By Vianna Davila and Jessica Priest, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaTue, 05 Sep 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/05/ken-paxton-state-agencies/Ken Paxton, who is currently suspended from his post as Texas attorney general, at a news conference in Austin last year.Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton at a news conference at the William P. Clements State Office Building on a pilot program to dispose of medications, especially opioids on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2022 in Austin, TX. Paxton was joined by a group of former athletes and coaches to make the announcement. (Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune)of former athletes and coaches to make the announcement.Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/06/06/texas-dan-patrick-transparency-bill/Patrick said he had always intended to sign the measure but pulled it aside in response to the House playing “games” at the end of the regular session.By Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaTue, 06 Jun 2023 18:03:38 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/06/06/texas-dan-patrick-transparency-bill/Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick spoke at a media briefing at the Texas Capitol on Tuesday.Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick discusses property tax cuts for homeowners during a media briefing at the Texas Capitol on Tuesday, June 6, in Austin, Texas.Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/06/03/texas-transparency-records-bill/The bill would close a long-standing loophole in state law that allows officials to withhold law enforcement records if no one was convicted in a case. The measure was the only bill sent to the Senate that did not get signed and sent to the governor.By Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaSat, 03 Jun 2023 17:45:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/06/03/texas-transparency-records-bill/Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (left) and House Speaker Dade Phelan.From left: Lt. Gov Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan.The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/09/texas-public-records-loophole-suicide-reports/Texas law allows officials to withhold police records if no one was convicted in a case. At least one city has used this rule to deny the release of suicide records. A new bill aims to close this loophole.By Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaTue, 09 May 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/09/texas-public-records-loophole-suicide-reports/The city of Killeen has used an exception to Texas public records law to withhold Army Pfc. Logan Castello’s suicide report from his family.Photographs of Logan Castello are displayed on a mantle at Patty Troyan’s home, Thursday, May 4, 2023 in Saint Clairsville, Ohio.Rich-Joseph Facun for The Texas Tribune and ProPublicahttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/10/military-army-administrative-separation/A federal watchdog called for ending the practice nearly 50 years ago, but the military pushed back. Now, soldiers leave the Army with a negative discharge, avoiding possible federal conviction and with little record of the allegations against them.By Vianna Davila, Lexi Churchill and Ren Larson, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, and Davis Winkie, Military TimesMon, 10 Apr 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/10/military-army-administrative-separation/Joan Wong for ProPublica and The Texas Tribune