Members of the League of United Latin American Citizens on Monday slammed a series of voter fraud raids last week by the office of Attorney General Ken Paxton, saying they are part of an effort to intimidate Latino voters ahead of the 2024 election.

“LULAC will not stand idly by and allow our members to be targeted,” LULAC National President Roman Palomares said. “This is point-blank voter intimidation, and LULAC will fight for the right of every Latino to exercise their right to vote.“

Paxton announced the searches as part of a two-year investigation into allegations of election fraud and vote harvesting that date back to the 2022 elections and were referred from the local district attorney, who is a Republican. The targets included elderly volunteers, longtime Latino political operatives and a Democratic state House candidate, Cecilia Castellano. 

BACKGROUND: Head of Latino Democratic group among those targeted by AG Ken Paxton's voter fraud raids

Paxton has not publicly discussed the specifics of the investigation, but according to a copy of an affidavit obtained by Hearst Newspapers, the searches involve an alleged mail ballot harvesting scheme in which someone filled out mail ballots without disclosing that they had assisted a voter and were paid by candidates for their work. 

Castellano and Lidia Martinez, an 87-year-old who has helped seniors and veterans register to vote for more than 30 years, said Monday that they had done nothing wrong. Latino civil rights activists and Democratic lawmakers have called for a federal investigation into the attorney general’s probe. The Justice Department has not commented publicly on the request.

Martinez on Monday described how nine officers entered her home early one morning last week, questioning her for over two hours and confiscating her cellphone, computer and documents related to her work as a deputy voter registrar. They had her stand outside in her nightgown as neighbors looked on.

“I said, ‘I'm not doing anything illegal. All I do is help the seniors,’” Martinez said, adding that at the time she had just been released from the hospital where she was recovering from COVID. “I said, ‘I had five brothers in the military.’ I said, ‘and I do it in the name of my brothers. My youngest brother was killed in Vietnam. He was awarded the Silver Star. And we're supposed to live in the greatest country in the world. This is a free country. This is not Russia.’”

Mary Ann Obregon, the mayor of Dilley, southwest of San Antonio, described a similar scene. She said officers made her feel afraid and offered her very little information about why they were there. Obregon, like Martinez, said she was not sure if she’ll continue her voter registration work because of the searches.

“My kids now don’t want me to keep doing politics,” Obregon said in Spanish, adding that she never directed any senior citizens to vote for particular candidates. “Everything we did was fine. Everything.”

Gabriel Rosales, Texas state director of LULAC, said Paxton is using his office to determine the direction of the election in Texas House District 80, where Castellano is locked in one of the most competitive state House races. Castellano’s opponent, former Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin, could be a deciding House vote in favor of private school vouchers, a top priority for Republican leadership.

“We're here to let the community know of what this gentleman is doing and using his office to come in and terrorize our community, terrorize grandmothers, terrorize, you know, little old ladies that are only doing nothing, nothing, but trying to help our community get to the polls,” Rosales said. “This is unacceptable.”

Castellano said she saw the raids as an attempt by Paxton and his allies to “harass and intimidate individuals for their own political gain.”

“Do not get distracted by this nonsense,” Castellano said. “Despite the challenges, I refuse to be silenced. … It is time for accountability and transparency from our leadership.”

McLaughlin said Monday that Castellano was dodging responsibility and twisting the truth to avoid scrutiny.

“Cecilia needs to come forward, take responsibility and tell the truth,” McLaughlin said. “Our citizens deserve at least that much, but ultimately, they deserve a representative who will fight to make your vote count, not someone who undermines it with lies and manipulation.”

In addition to the federal request, state Sens. Roland Gutierrez and José Menéndez, both San Antonio Democrats, said they plan to send a letter to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick demanding a Senate investigation into voter intimidation of Latinos.

“Too many families have lost young men and women defending this nation,” Menéndez said. “It is deplorable and disgusting that you want to take away the rights to vote of our community."

According to the affidavit Hearst obtained, dated March 2024, the claims were brought to 81st Judicial District Attorney Audrey Louis from a candidate who had lost a Democratic primary race in Frio County in 2022.

The candidate said they believed that a person hired by their opponent had filled out and signed voter registration applications for others without disclosing their role, which would be illegal in Texas. Under state law, a person who assists a voter with filling out a ballot by mail application must sign their name and state their address, and the person requiring assistance must have a physical disability or illiteracy to be eligible. Hearst is not naming the person identified by the candidate because they have not been charged with a crime.

In a recording later provided by a witness, the person identified by the candidate offers to fill out mail ballot applications for voters and then collect their mail ballots in exchange for compensation from Manuel Medina, a Bexar County political consultant who works for Castellano. The affidavit doesn’t include any direct quotes from the recording. Records later obtained by state investigators showed transactions between the person and several candidates, some of them labeled “elections.” 

Gerry Goldstein, Medina’s lawyer, declined to comment.

Investigators spoke with several 2022 Frio County voters who said the person hired by the candidate had “either influenced their vote, prepared their ballot and/or took possession of the carrier envelope to mail their ballot,” the affidavit said. All of those ballots reviewed lacked a signature from the alleged harvester, and investigators observed that several voters “did not appear eligible for assistance.”