LULAC has called for DOJ Investigation into Ken Paxton's Office
The nation’s oldest Latino civil rights organization, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), is under scrutiny as it becomes one of several entities in Texas targeted in voter fraud raids.
The raids were led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, CBS News reported.
LULAC, in a letter obtained by CBS News, has called for the Justice Department to investigate Paxton’s office for potential violations of the Voting Rights Act.
The organization claims that Paxton’s office has been conducting illegal searches under the guise of combating voter fraud.
“These actions echo a troubling history of voter suppression and intimidation that has long targeted both Black and Latino communities, particularly in states like Texas, where demographic changes have increasingly shifted the political landscape,” LULAC CEO Juan Proaño and the group’s national president, Roman Palomares, stated in the letter.
The situation intensifies amid Paxton’s recent announcement of undercover operations and investigations into allegations that some organizations in Texas are unlawfully registering non-citizens to vote.
According to LULAC officials, several of their members in Texas were specifically targeted by these raids, with some having their laptops and cell phones seized by state authorities executing search warrants.
The raids reportedly focused on Latino activists across the state.
“Attorney General Paxton is using his position of authority to harass and intimidate Latino non-profit organizations like LULAC, Latino Leaders, and LULAC members,” Juan Proaño told CBS News, describing the state AG’s actions as “point-blank voter intimidation.”
Proaño argued that Paxton’s pattern of lawsuits, raids, searches, and seizures demonstrates an effort to suppress the Latino vote.
One of the individuals affected is Lidia Martinez, an 87-year-old San Antonio resident and long-time LULAC member.
Martinez, who has been involved in voter registration efforts among seniors and veterans in South Texas, recounted her experience with the raid.
Last Tuesday, she was greeted by nine officers in tactical gear and firearms who executed a search warrant.
Martinez was questioned for over three hours about her voter registration activities.
Her phone, computer, personal calendar, blank voter registration forms, and her certificate to conduct voter registration were confiscated.
“This is a free country, this is not Russia,” Martinez said during a press conference on Monday, where she condemned the raid.
Manuel Medina, chair of the Tejano Democrats and a LULAC member, was another individual targeted in the raids.
LULAC officials reported that Medina’s home was raided last Thursday by police in riot gear. Authorities broke down his door and seized his property.
Paxton’s office defended the raids, stating in a press release that its Election Integrity Unit would continue undercover operations.
The Texas AG’s office also cited a referral from the 81st Judicial District Attorney Audrey Louis, alleging that election fraud and vote harvesting occurred during the 2022 elections.
According to the press release, a two-year investigation provided sufficient evidence to obtain the search warrants.
Paxton’s Election Integrity Unit was established after Trump’s 2020 election defeat, with the goal of investigating alleged voter fraud across Texas.
Despite these efforts, officials from the Trump administration affirmed that the election had been secure.
“My office is investigating every credible report we receive regarding potential criminal activity that could compromise the integrity of our elections,” Paxton said in a statement.
He also accused the Biden-Harris administration of allowing illegal immigrants into the country, which he argued could lead to foreign nationals influencing U.S. elections at every level.
India has taken a significant step in advancing Hyperloop technology, an emerging mode of transportation…
Oriental Rail Infrastructure has received its first major contract to supply seats for the Vande…
The construction of the Anand Bullet Train Station in Gujarat, a key stop on the…
The space industry witnessed a series of delays this week as both the launches of…
Trump Inauguration: In what can only be described as a seismic shift from over a…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reported numerous violations at a Taylor Farms facility…