Outrage in the Latino community and civil rights group over Texas' ballot harvesting 'raids'

The oldest civil rights organization in the country intends to pursue legal action against Texas officials who conducted searches and confiscations related to suspected illegal ballot harvesting prior to the 2024 election.

Last week, the Election Integrity unit of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, carried out searches in three South Texas counties as part of his ongoing investigation.

Since 2022, the unit has been investigating fraud and ballot harvesting allegations, resulting in sufficient evidence to obtain warrants.

LULAC officials claimed that the warrant searches were actually "raids" and targeted elderly, longtime volunteers who were legally collecting ballots.

Roman Palomares, LULAC National President, expressed his desire to meet with Justice Department officials responsible for civil rights cases in Washington, stating that all those targeted were of Latino or minority ethnicity.

"Several of our members were subjected to searches, and they are certified voter registrants," he told Planet Chronicle Digital. "These individuals are ordinary people, yet they are being targeted for some reason."

"Palomares stated that the tactics used to suppress the vote are unjustifiable. He added that this is what he believes is happening, and that's why he is here to defend his members."

The attorney general stated that secure elections are crucial to our republic, but Paxton's office did not respond to a request for comment.

"We were pleased to help when the District Attorney sent this case to my office for investigation. We are fully dedicated to safeguarding the security of the ballot box and the accuracy of every legal vote. This entails holding anyone responsible for election fraud accountable," Paxton stated.

Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Republicans view the 80th State House district as the most promising district to flip from blue to red in November.

Palomares contended that LULAC volunteers are not in Bexar County to aid Democrats in retaining the seat, asserting that the group is prohibited from doing so.

He stated that there are individuals working to help voters register, regardless of their affiliation with a particular party. They are nonpartisan and cannot dictate how people should vote, but their goal is to increase voter turnout by registering as many individuals as possible.

"It seems that the individuals being targeted reside in this district."

In January, Abbott's office endorsed former Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin, a Republican running for office, but did not respond to a request for comment on the allegation.

One of the women subjected to warrant searches was an 80-year-old former member of the LULAC board, according to Palomares.

He claimed that law enforcement seized her gadgets and she admitted to feeling embarrassed due to being caught outside her home in her nightgown at dawn. He characterized the search methods as "intimidation tactics."

Palomares stated, "I believe it's unjust. She hasn't committed a crime, hasn't been convicted, and hasn't been hiding anything."

"These are claims that they receive from a source and then act upon."

On Tuesday, the Justice Department received a letter from LULAC, and a spokesperson confirmed receipt but did not provide additional details.