CNN —
Prominent Latino advocacy groups on Monday called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton after his office searched the homes of Democratic activists and leaders on charges related to voter fraud.
In a letter to the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the president and CEO of the League of Latin American Citizens called for “immediate action” from the federal agency.
“We believe his actions are a direct attempt to suppress the Latino vote through intimidation and harassment and violate the Voting Rights Act and other federal civil rights laws,” LULAC Chairman Roman Palomares and CEO Juan Proano wrote in the letter.
The Department of Justice confirmed to CNN that it had received the letter, but a spokesperson declined to comment further.
No charges have been filed so far as a result of last week’s searches. Paxton’s office said search warrants were executed in Frio, Atascosa and Bexar counties as part of an investigation into the integrity of elections dating back to 2022.
The Attorney General’s Office said in a statement last week that its Election Integrity Unit is investigating a referral from District Attorney Audrey Lewis of the state’s 81st Judicial District regarding allegations of election fraud and vote stuffing.
“Secure elections are a cornerstone of our republic,” Paxton said in a statement. “When the District Attorney referred this case to my office for investigation, we were happy to cooperate. We are committed to protecting the security of the ballot box and the integrity of every lawful vote, and that means ensuring that those who commit election crimes are held accountable.”
Neither Paxton’s office nor the district attorney’s office responded to CNN’s inquiries Monday about the nature of the investigation and its details.
Paxton has been accused of using intimidation tactics before.
Paxton raised the issue of voter fraud and filed a federal lawsuit to overturn the election results in four key battleground states after President Joe Biden won the 2020 election. The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed that lawsuit, and the Texas State Bar sued Paxton in 2022 for misrepresenting his claims of voter fraud.
Earlier this year, Paxton targeted an El Paso nonprofit that helps immigrants, accusing it of encouraging illegal entry into the United States, escorting aliens and encouraging human trafficking, but the judge halted Paxton’s attempt to “trample” the organization “without regard for due process or fair play,” the ruling said.
He has investigated the medical records of transgender youth, including those he claims are protected by patient privacy laws, and sought gender-affirming treatment at clinics out of state.
And under the state’s strict abortion ban, he published the names of both abortion-seeking patients and their doctors in an open letter, threatening them with first-degree felony prosecution and possible civil fines of $100,000.
At a press conference outside the attorney general’s office in San Antonio on Monday, LULAC members and Democratic activists denounced the attack and accused Paxton of launching an intimidation campaign against Latino voters.
“Attorney General Paxton has used his authority to harass and intimidate Latino nonprofits, Latino leaders, and LULAC members,” Palomares said. “This is direct voter intimidation, and LULAC will fight for Latinos’ right to exercise their right to vote.”
LULAC said those whose homes were searched included Cecilia Castellano, a Democrat running for state Assembly, a 73-year-old woman and an 80-year-old woman. Palomares said the homes of at least six LULAC members were searched, according to the Associated Press.
“You can’t target our grandmothers and great-grandmothers,” said Domingo Garcia, another LULAC leader. “They’re just trying to vote, so you can’t target them.”
Castellano told CNN’s Laura Coates on Monday night that her cell phone was confiscated during a search of her home.
“I was shocked. I’m still shocked. And it makes me even more angry because my son was just a few feet away,” Castellano said.
According to a search warrant affidavit, investigators found evidence that the subject of another warrant had been hired to collect mail-in ballots for multiple candidates.
CNN is not naming the person whose phone was seized pursuant to a search warrant – a longtime Frio County political activist – because he has not been charged with a crime.
Texas law makes it illegal for anyone other than a relative or roommate to deliver a voter’s mail-in ballot unless assistance is specified on the ballot. It is also illegal in Texas to accept payment for “ballot harvesting.”
In addition to helping voters fill out applications to vote by mail, some voters told investigators in interviews that they received ballots even though they had not filled out an application, according to a sealed affidavit obtained by CNN.
“Several interviews were conducted and witnesses who voted by mail confirmed that (the operatives named in the affidavit) influenced votes, prepared ballots, and/or obtained delivery envelopes to mail ballots,” the affidavit states.
CNN reached out to the individuals named in the affidavit but did not immediately receive a response.
The affidavit also states that Frio County Elections Supervisor Sylvia Santos was one of the targets of “spot surveillance” by the Attorney General’s Office, and that the subject of the search warrant “received what appeared to be sample ballots from Ms. Santos behind the elections office on February 15, 2024,” suggesting that the subject may have been used to show voters which candidates they supported.
But Santos told CNN on Tuesday that providing ballot samples is simply part of his job. “All I can say is, anybody who calls or comes into this building and asks for a ballot sample, I won’t ask any questions,” Santos said.
Lidia Martinez, 87, a longtime voter registration activist and LULAC member, told reporters at a press conference Monday that armed officers from Paxton’s office showed up at her home with a search warrant at dawn on August 20. She was told the investigation was related to fraud, and she was questioned for three hours. She also said she was made to stand in her front yard in just her nightgown.
“It was really humiliating, threatening and harassing,” she said, growing emotional. “They searched everything in my house.”
She said she was questioned about other LULAC members and denounced the search as a “Gestapo-style” raid. LULAC said her devices, personal calendar and voter registration materials were confiscated.
“I haven’t done anything illegal. I follow the rules of the election office and I’ve never registered to vote or voted by mail or done anything illegal like they’re asking me to do,” she said. “I don’t know who’s doing it, and I don’t want to know. I’m not associated with them. I’m not guilty, but they’re harassing me. It’s disgusting.”
In a letter to the federal government, LULAC argued that the recent attacks reflect a broader pattern of voter intimidation in Latino and Black communities.
“Attorney General Paxton’s actions are not an isolated incident, but part of a concerted effort to suppress the growing political power of minority communities in Texas,” the letter said. “These actions are reminiscent of past attempts to intimidate and disenfranchise voters through fear and coercion.”
CNN’s Andy Rose, Hannah Rabinowitz and Lauren Mascarenhas contributed to this report.
