Latino advocacy group demands inquiry following Texas home searches

In Austin, Texas, a Latino voting rights group has called for a federal investigation after volunteers reported that Texas authorities conducted raids on their homes, seizing phones and computers. The raids were part of a voter fraud investigation led by the state’s Republican attorney general. Despite the searches that occurred last week in the San Antonio area, no charges have been brought against any individuals targeted in the raids.

Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office confirmed that searches were carried out following allegations of election fraud and vote harvesting during the 2022 election. Volunteers, including an 80-year-old woman, expressed outrage over the raids outside the attorney general’s office in San Antonio, claiming that their votes were being suppressed. Roman Palomares, the national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, vowed to investigate the matter further.

The investigation is being conducted by an Election Integrity Unit established by Paxton’s office. Neither Paxton’s office nor the federal Justice Department commented immediately on the situation. The League of United Latin American Citizens reported that at least six members had their homes raided. Among them was Manuel Medina, a San Antonio political consultant, who stated that agents searched his home for hours and confiscated documents, computers, and cellphones. Medina, the former head of the Bexar County Democratic Party, is involved in the campaign of Democratic state House candidate Cecilia Castellano, whose home was also searched.

In another instance, Lidia Martinez, an 80-year-old volunteer, had nine officers enter her home. Martinez expressed confusion about the search and was questioned by the agents regarding other members, including Medina. The search warrant authorized the seizure of any documents related to the election and Martinez’s devices. Martinez maintained her innocence, stating that her activities solely involved assisting seniors, and insisted that she was not engaged in any illegal activities.

Instances of voter fraud are uncommon, usually limited to isolated cases and are typically detected. An investigation by the Associated Press into the 2020 presidential election revealed fewer than 475 potential instances of voter fraud out of 25.5 million ballots cast in the six states where former President Trump and his supporters contested his defeat to Democratic President Joe Biden.