New York State Attorney General Letitia James, leading a coalition of 16 attorneys general from across the country, has urged the U.S. Department of Justice to launch a civil rights investigation into recent raids conducted by the Texas Attorney General’s office. These raids targeted Latino voting rights organizers, candidates, and volunteers, according to an announcement from her office on Thursday.
Read Full PDF: https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/letters/9-12-2024-multi-state-letter-to-doj-re-paxton-raids.pdf
The raids, which occurred on August 20 in the San Antonio area, involved the seizure of personal property from local organizers and candidates for office. These actions were ordered by Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Among those affected was an 80-year-old volunteer who reported that agents spent two hours at her home, taking her medicine, smartphone, and watch.
Paxton stated that his office received “allegations of election fraud and vote harvesting” from a local prosecutor regarding the 2022 election. However, no charges have been filed against any of the individuals targeted in the searches.
James is calling on the DOJ to investigate whether the raids violate civil rights, including the right to vote.
“The victims were targeted solely because of their efforts to boost political participation in the Latino community. It’s unacceptable to try to intimidate volunteers and candidates from engaging in the electoral process,” James said in a statement. “I’m proud to lead my fellow attorneys general in urging the DOJ to look into this matter. We are united in our commitment to the rule of law, both in our states and across the nation. We cannot allow voter intimidation or abusive government interference in our free and fair elections.”
In a letter to the DOJ, James and the coalition contend that the Texas Attorney General’s office aimed to intimidate voters of color by conducting the raids and seizing the property of organizers and Latino candidates.
Joining James in this effort are the attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.
