Democrats in Texas demand Justice Department investigation into alleged voting rights violations by AG Paxton

Texas Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have formally asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate possible civil and voting rights violations by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his Elections Integrity Unit.

In a September 6 letter, the Texas delegation asked U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Paxton's recent raids on the homes of Latino voting rights activists and volunteers in South Texas and the San Antonio area.

“We are concerned that these actions are intended to deprive American citizens, particularly Latinos and members of minorities, of their right to vote through political persecution or to deny them that right altogether,” the lawmakers wrote. “We call on the Department to investigate these actions, including for violations of the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act, and to take all necessary actions to prevent further interference with the rights of voters in the State of Texas.”

The letter follows sharp criticism from the League of United Latin American Citizens, a Hispanic civil rights group that had held a press conference in downtown El Paso just days earlier with El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego and El Paso County Commissioner Sergio Coronado calling for an investigation.

In addition to Paxton's raids, the letter also questions Governor Greg Abbott's involvement in suppressing turnout among minority voters, which was revealed by his recent purge of voter rolls that included 6,500 alleged “non-citizens.”

“There is little to no transparency about how Governor Abbott classified these individuals as 'potential non-citizens,'” the letter states, “and we fear that these decisions are being made based on the perceived race or ethnicity of these individuals, thereby denying American citizens their right to vote.”

Paxton's office did not respond to a request for comment.

Who signed the letter?

While U.S. Representatives Veronica Escobar (D-El Paso) and Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio) took the lead in drafting the letter to the Justice Department, they were supported by nine colleagues, all prominent Texas Democrats.

The signatories of the letter are: U.S. Rep. Colin Allred (D-Dallas), who is currently launching a campaign to oust U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in the November 5 general election; U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin); Sylvia Garcia (D-Houston); U.S. Rep. Al Green (D-Houston); U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Dallas); U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Austin); U.S. Rep. Lizzy Fletcher (D-Houston); Marc Veasey (D-Dallas); and U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-McAllen).

Allegations against Paxton’s office

The letter's main focus is on Paxton's Election Integrity Office, which was created in the wake of the 2020 presidential election and former President Donald Trump's subsequent false claims of election fraud.

The raids primarily targeted older Latino voting rights activists and volunteers. Officials from Paxton's EIO were reportedly instructed to confiscate computers, cell phones, tablets and any other election-related materials, the letter said.

In one case described by LULAC during its press conference, an 87-year-old woman was dragged from her home by armed officers during an early morning raid and was barely allowed to dress before being forced outside while officers searched her house.

“While state attorneys general have the right to investigate unlawful conduct and those suspected of it in their states, (Paxton's) targeting of Latino activists, volunteers and agents raises concerns about the potential ulterior motives behind these actions,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter, “particularly in a state like Texas, where state legislators and politicians like (Abbott) and (Paxton) have actively worked to undermine the voice of minorities at the ballot box.”

Paxton’s “history of abuse of power”

This is far from Paxton's first foray into attacks against Latinos in Texas, the letter says, as he has a “well-established pattern of abusing the power of the Attorney General's Office to target businesses, organizations and communities that do not align with his personal or political views.”

Earlier this year, Paxton launched a major attack on the El Paso nonprofit Annunciation House, falsely accusing it of operating a “hideout” and supporting illegal immigration.

The same trend was seen in Houston this year, when Paxton tried to shut down the immigrant rights group Immigrant Families and Students in the Fight for allegedly violating state regulations governing nonprofits.

“Given the Attorney General's history of abusing his power,” the lawmakers wrote, “we believe it is imperative that the Department of Justice investigate these raids as potential civil liberties violations and possible interference with the right of Latinos to vote fairly and freely.”

This article originally appeared in the El Paso Times: House Democrats call for Justice Department investigation into Texas Attorney General