Texas’ ballot harvesting ‘raids’ lead to outrage in Latino community, civil rights group

One of the nation’s oldest civil rights organizations plans to seek federal legal action after Texas officials executed searches and seizures relating to alleged illegal ballot harvesting ahead of the 2024 election.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, announced that his office’s Election Integrity unit had executed searches in three South Texas counties last week as part of his ongoing probe.

Paxton said the unit had been working since 2022 to investigate fraud and ballot harvesting allegations, which led to enough evidence to obtain warrants.

However, officials at LULAC – the League of United Latin American Citizens – alleged the warrant searches constituted "raids" and wrongly targeted elderly longtime volunteers who were engaged in lawful ballot collection.

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A woman prepares mail-in ballots to be counted at a polling station in Pennsylvania. (Aimee Dilger/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images/File)

LULAC National President Roman Palomares said he is hoping to go to Washington to meet with Justice Department officials who handle civil rights cases. Palomares alleged that "100%" of those targeted were of Latino or minority ethnicity.

"Two or three of our members were [subject to the searches], and they’re certified [voter] registrants," he told Fox News Digital. "These are regular people, but for some reason they’re targeting [them]."

"We think it's unjustifiable. These are tactics that they use to suppress the vote," Palomares said. "That's what we feel that's being done, and that's why we're here. I'm here to defend my members."

While Paxton’s office did not return a request for comment, the attorney general said in a statement that "secure elections are the cornerstone of our republic."

"We were glad to assist when the District Attorney referred this case to my office for investigation. We are completely committed to protecting the security of the ballot box and the integrity of every legal vote. This means ensuring accountability for anyone committing election crimes," Paxton said.

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However, Palomares said there may be another political interest in the Uvalde-area counties where the operations took place: Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Republicans see the 80th State House district as the Democrat seat most primed to flip red in November.

Palomares argued that LULAC volunteers aren’t in Bexar County to help Democrats retain the seat, suggesting the organization is not allowed to do so.

"There are folks that are working to help, not necessarily her, but to get voters registered so they can vote; we're nonpartisan. We can't tell them how to vote, but we want to register as many people so they can exercise their right," he said.

"And those are the folks that have been targeted. And it appears that it's targeted around this district."

Abbott’s office did not return a request for comment on the allegation, but it did in January endorse former Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin, the Republican in the race.

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League of United Latin American Citizens pamphlets (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images/File)

Palomares added that one woman subject to the warrant searches was 80 years old and a former member of the LULAC board. 

He said law enforcement confiscated her electronics and that she told him she was embarrassed to be stuck outside her house in her nightgown around dawn. He called the way the searches were conducted "intimidation tactics."

"I don't think it's right. You know, she hasn't committed a crime, hasn't been convicted, hasn't been hiding or anything," Palomares said.

"I mean, these are allegations that they hear from somewhere, and they come in and do things."

A spokesperson for the Justice Department confirmed receipt of a letter from LULAC on Tuesday but declined to elaborate further.