LULAC Demands Federal Probe into Texas AG's Voter Registration Investigations

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is calling for a federal investigation into Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's probes of alleged illegal voter registration efforts following a series of law enforcement raids targeting Latino activists.

At a San Antonio news conference on Monday, LULAC members and community advocates condemned the raids by Paxton's Election Integrity Unit as an invasion of privacy, civil rights violations, and voter suppression attempts.

"It is evident through his (Paxton's) patterns of lawsuits, raids, searches and seizures that he is trying to keep Latinos from voting," said Roman Palomares, LULAC's national president. "LULAC will not stand idly by and allow our members to be targeted, harassed, bullied or intimidated."

Last Friday, Texas LULAC Director Gabriel Rosales announced that several members had been served search warrants at their South Texas homes, prompting the organization to seek federal assistance. LULAC leaders confirmed Monday that they are submitting a request for investigation to Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights with the U.S. Department of Justice.

"We're going to continue to work on this, no matter what this attorney general thinks he's going to do," Rosales said. "We didn't break any laws. All we did was go out there to increase the political participation of the Latino community."

A Justice Department spokesperson acknowledged the matter but declined further comment.

In a statement last week, Paxton announced multiple search warrants in Frio, Atascosa, and Bexar counties, tied to alleged voter fraud and vote harvesting during the 2022 election cycle. Paxton also mentioned "undercover operations" to prevent illegal voter registration by nonprofit organizations near Texas Department of Public Safety driver's license offices.

Lidia Martinez, an 87-year-old retired teacher from San Antonio, described her experience during one of the raids: "What do you want out of me? I'm an old woman. I help the seniors. I help the veterans. What do you want from me?" she recalled telling an interrogator. Martinez said officers took her laptop, appointment book, cellphone, and voter registration information.

Paxton's office has not responded to requests for comment on LULAC's response or provided additional information on the search warrants.

Gov. Greg Abbott praised efforts to remove ineligible people from the state's voter rolls, noting that more than 1 million people have been erased since 2021, including potential noncitizens. He cited legislation passed last year that strengthens penalties for illegal voting.

This is not the first clash between state officials and LULAC over voter registrations. A 2019 dispute led to a settlement agreement and a congressional probe, with Paxton's office refusing to cooperate.

State Sens. Roland Gutierrez and José Menéndez, both Democrats from San Antonio, announced they would send a letter to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick seeking a Senate investigation into Paxton's probes. Gutierrez criticized Paxton for his handling of a securities fraud case and attempts to evade a subpoena.

"The net effect of what this does... it is only voter suppression and voter intimidation," Gutierrez said. "He is pointing a gun and intimidating our abuelitas."