LULAC condemns Paxton’s election fraud raids as “intimidation." This is unacceptable in a democracy

Glad to see these horrific developments getting the attention it deserves. According to this related article in today's Austin American-Statesman article titled, "'We didn't break any laws': LULAC seeks federal probe into Ken Paxton's voter fraud chase" we learn that Governor Greg Abbott acknowledged the removal of over a staggering 1 million names from Texas voter rolls since 2021, with more than 6,500 deemed as "potential noncitizens," about 1,930 of whom had a voting history.

 Lidia Martinez, an 87-year-old retired teacher from San Antonio, said nine officers from the attorney general's office showed up at her door at 6 a.m. on August 20, seeking information about her voter registration activities. During the raid, Martinez was forced to surrender her laptop, appointment book, cellphone, and voter registration materials. She expressed uncertainty about when or if her belongings would be returned. 

I agree with LULAC State Director Gabriel Rosales who names this as outright voter oppression. I'm glad that LULAC is speaking out and seeking redress from the U.S. Department of Justice. In a democracy, we should strive not only to encourage voting but also to support those who volunteer to get others to vote. Intimidation tactics against them are unacceptable.

This goes to the point that if your vote didn't matter, folks like Paxton wouldn't care so much about it. 

Su voto es su voz! Your voice is your vote!

-Angela Valenzuela



LULAC condemns Paxton’s election fraud raids as “intimidation”

The group said that searches the attorney general’s office carried out this week targeted at least six Latinos, including a Democrat running for the Texas House.

By Kayla Guo
Aug. 23, 20247 PM Central | Texas Tribune



Volunteers helped register voters in 2020. Allegations related to different voting actions in 2022 led to an investigation, according to the Texas Attorney General. Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune

The League of United Latin American Citizens plans to request a federal investigation into raids Attorney General Ken Paxton conducted this week as part of what he called an “ongoing election integrity investigation.”

Gabriel Rosales, Texas LULAC’s state director, said in a statement that Paxton carried out the raids 11 weeks before the 2024 elections “to suppress the Latino vote through intimidation and any means necessary to tilt the electoral process in favor of his political allies.”

Agents raided the home of Cecilia Castellano — the Democrat running to succeed state Rep. Tracy King, D-Uvalde — and confiscated her phone as part of the search, according to Rosales. Republicans see that seat, which Gov. Greg Abbott carried by nearly 6 percentage points, as their best potential state House flip in November.

Law enforcement also searched the homes of at least five other Latino individuals, all of whom were working on Castellano’s campaign and three of whom are members of Texas LULAC, Rosales added. LULAC is a non-partisan, volunteer-based Hispanic civil rights organization headquartered in Washington.

The group is in the dark about the details of any accusations, Rosales said, “but there's none that we’ve been privy to that merits an investigation like this that wastes taxpayers’ money.”

“It is disgraceful and outrageous that the state of Texas, and its highest-ranking law enforcement officer is once again using the power of his office to instill fear in the hearts of community members who volunteer their time to promote civic engagement,” Rosales said in a statement.

Paxton announced on Wednesday that his office executed “multiple” search warrants in Frio, Atascosa and Bexar counties the day prior as part of an investigation into allegations of “election fraud and vote harvesting that occurred during the 2022 elections.” A two-year investigation, Paxton said, provided “sufficient evidence” to obtain the search warrants.

“Secure elections are the cornerstone of our republic,” Paxton said in a statement. “We are completely committed to protecting the security of the ballot box and the integrity of every legal vote. This means ensuring accountability for anyone committing election crimes.”

Paxton’s office did not reply to a request for additional information. His announcement did not detail the targets of the raids, the number of raids, or the reason specific homes were searched.

“It’s still very vague,” Rosales said in an interview. “That’s what’s really unnerving about the whole situation.”

According to one person whose home was raided, Rosales said, law enforcement suggested that he was accused of possessing “illegal voter information” — a claim that he denied and called politically motivated, saying voter information is publicly available.

“There’s no there, there,” Rosales said. “They’re using every tool in the toolbox to intimidate our people from coming out to the polls.”

Rosales said he was working with the group’s national leaders and attorneys to draft a formal complaint with the U.S. Justice Department requesting a federal investigation into Paxton’s raids.

The attorney general’s office was asked to investigate the allegations of election fraud and vote harvesting during the 2022 elections by 81st Judicial District Attorney Audrey Louis, a Republican whose district includes Frio and Atascosa counties.