A Latino civil rights group is calling for a federal investigation into the Texas attorney general’s office for raiding the homes of several Democrats in the San Antonio area in connection with a vote harvesting investigation.
Manuel Medina, chief of staff for Democrat state Rep. Elizabeth “Liz” Campos, along with others, was served with a search warrant on Aug. 20 during a raid of his home.
Authorities also searched the home of Democrat state house candidate Cecilia Castellano and members of the Texas League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).
Medina is the former head of the Bexar County Democratic Party and a political consultant working on Castellano’s campaign.
The raids have triggered outrage and accusations of voter suppression by LULAC officials.
Charges have not been filed against those subject to the raids.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton released a statement saying warrants were issued for individuals in Frio, Atascosa, and Bexar counties as part of an ongoing election integrity case.
The investigation stemmed from a referral from 81st District Attorney Audrey Louis surrounding “allegations of election fraud and vote harvesting” during the 2022 election, according to the release.
“The subsequent two-year investigation provided sufficient evidence to obtain the search warrants in furtherance of the ongoing investigation,” the release said.
On Aug. 26, LULAC leaders, state legislators, and activists protested outside Paxton’s San Antonio office.
Speakers at the event accused Paxton of targeting Latinos for political gain. The organization called on the Civil Rights Office of the Department of Justice to investigate Paxton’s office over the raids.
“This is point blank voter intimidation,” Roman Palomares, national president of LULAC, said at the protest, “And LULAC will fight for the right of every Latino to exercise their right to vote.”
“We feel like our votes are being suppressed,” Palomares told The Associated Press.“We’re going to get to the bottom of it.”
Palomares said the homes of at least six members of the organization were searched.
Castellano told The Epoch Times in an email she could not speak about specific allegations. No one answered the phone number listed for Medina at Campos’ office in Austin.
A video of the LULAC protest was posted on Castellano’s Facebook page. It was suggested at the rally that Paxton’s motivation was to help her Republican challenger, former Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin Jr.
State senator José Menéndez, a San Antonio Democrat, spoke at the rally, blaming school vouchers for the raids. “They’re counting the votes to pass legislation like vouchers ... and they know that this is so important to the governor that they ‘ll do anything it takes,” Menéndez said.
Abbott stated in May he had the votes needed to make school vouchers a reality in the next legislative session.
Illegal immigrants cross the Rio Grande from Mexico into the United States in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Sept. 30, 2023. John Moore/Getty Images
Agents with the state’s Election Integrity Unit seized documents, computers, and cell phones from Medina’s, Castellano’s, and LULAC members’ homes.
Lydia Martinez, an 80-year-old LULAC member, said authorities raided her home at 6 a.m., according to a Facebook post by the Texas LULAC branch.
Her home was “ransacked,” and she was questioned for hours by nine officers about her voter registration activities, according to the post.
“They sat me down, and they started searching all my house, my store room, my garage, kitchen, everything,” Martinez told the Associated Press, adding they questioned her about other members, including Medina.
The search warrant ordered officials to search any documents related to the election and to confiscate Martinez’s devices.
“I’m not doing anything illegal,” Martinez said she told agents. “All I do is help the seniors.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) meeting in National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 23, 2024. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
The attorney general has made election integrity one of his top priorities while in office.
“We are completely committed to protecting the security of the ballot box and the integrity of every legal vote,” Paxton said.
On Aug. 21, Paxton announced another election integrity investigation, this time focusing on reports that nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) may be unlawfully registering noncitizens in Texas to vote. Penalties include jail time and fines.
On Aug. 26, Abbott announced that since 2021, Texas has removed more than 1 million people from the state’s voter rolls, including people who moved out-of-state, are deceased, and are noncitizens.
The release showed that 6,500 noncitizens were removed from Texas voter rolls, with approximately 1,930 having a voter history. Abbott said the names of illegal immigrants who voted will be turned over to Paxton “for investigation and possible legal action.”
Paxton’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The Epoch Times.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
