Latino Civil Rights Group Calls for Probe into Ken Paxton’s Voter Fraud Case

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is calling for a federal investigation into Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s inquiries regarding alleged illegal voter registration activities. This demand follows a series of law enforcement raids conducted in the past week that specifically targeted Latino activists.

At a news conference held in San Antonio on Monday, representatives from LULAC, the oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization in the United States, came together with community advocates to speak out against Paxton’s Election Integrity Unit. They condemned the raids as invasive, a breach of civil rights, and a blatant attempt at voter suppression.

“The pattern of lawsuits, raids, searches, and seizures by Paxton demonstrates his intention to suppress Latino voting,” stated Roman Palomares, national president of LULAC, during the event. “LULAC will not remain silent while our members are targeted, harassed, or intimidated.”

Last Friday, Gabriel Rosales, the Texas director for LULAC, disclosed that several group members encountered law enforcement officers at their homes in South Texas, which prompted the organization to seek federal intervention in what they perceive as violations of civil rights.

Leaders from LULAC confirmed that they are submitting a formal request for a federal investigation into the voter registration probe to Kristen Clarke, the assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Justice. Rosales emphasized their determination to continue advocating for the Latino community’s political participation: “We didn’t break any laws. Our goal was simply to increase political engagement among Latinos.”

The Justice Department acknowledged awareness of the ongoing situation but declined to provide further comments.

In statements made last week, Paxton celebrated the execution of multiple search warrants in Frio, Atascosa, and Bexar counties, asserting that these actions are part of investigations into supposed voter fraud and vote harvesting during the 2022 election cycle. However, no evidence supporting claims of voter fraud has been publicly disclosed.

Paxton also boasted about the initiation of “undercover operations” across Texas’s major metropolitan areas to uncover potential illegal voter registration activities, alleging that nonprofit organizations were conducting registration drives near Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) driver’s license offices.

The attorney general insisted that citizens can easily register to vote at the same time they renew or register for DPS driver’s licenses. He questioned the motives of nonprofits providing registration assistance outside of these offices.

Lidia Martinez, an 87-year-old retired teacher from San Antonio who was affected by the recent raids, recounted a disturbing encounter. She opened her door at 6 a.m. on August 20 to find nine officers from the attorney general’s office seeking information about her voter registration efforts. Recovering from a hospital stay, she was shocked by their presence and wasn’t allowed to dress properly while they searched her home for hours.

Martinez shared her frustration during the interrogation, expressing, “I help seniors and veterans. What do you want from me?” During the raid, she was compelled to surrender personal items, including her laptop and cellphone, leaving her concerned about the whereabouts of her belongings.

Paxton’s office has not responded to inquiries regarding LULAC’s calls for federal investigation or provided further details on the search warrants executed at the homes of Martinez, Cecilia Castellano (a Democratic candidate for state House District 80), and others.

Castellano voiced her dissatisfaction with the lack of clarity surrounding the warrants: “The vague reasons for the search left me doubting their motives. Standing with my family, I felt an overwhelming sense of injustice.”

Texas Governor Greg Abbott acknowledged the ongoing effort to purge names from the state’s voter rolls, revealing that over one million individuals have been removed since 2021, which includes approximately 1,930 people with a recorded voting history labeled as “potential noncitizens.”

In his statement, Abbott pointed to significant election law reforms aimed at safeguarding the right to vote and combating illegal voting. He cited legislation enacted last year, making illegal voting a second-degree felony and attributing the large-scale removals of ineligible voters to these reforms.

This incident marks yet another chapter in the ongoing conflict between state officials and LULAC concerning voter registrations. Previous disputes over voter roll maintenance led to a settlement in 2019, whereby processes were revised to prevent the wrongful removal of naturalized citizens from the rolls.

After the 2019 agreement, congressional scrutiny followed, and the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform commenced an investigation, which met with non-cooperation from Paxton’s office.

Seeking further action, Senators Roland Gutierrez and José Menéndez, both Democrats from San Antonio, announced plans to send a letter to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, calling for a Senate investigation into Paxton’s current voter fraud probes.

Gutierrez, a longtime critic of Paxton, accused him during the news conference of fostering a climate of voter intimidation, likening his actions to a form of bullying against vulnerable community members.

“We’ve seen this pattern before from Paxton, and it only leads to voter suppression and intimidation,” Gutierrez stated. “Meanwhile, when law enforcement showed up at his office, no one threatened him.”

Source: Austin American-Statesman