One of the country's largest Latino civil rights organizations, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), has requested the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate a series of home raids carried out by state investigators in South Texas. These raids targeted the homes of Latino elected officials, candidates, and political operatives in three counties.

Led by the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the search warrants were executed last week as part of a two-year investigation into alleged fraud and vote harvesting. Paxton claimed to have "sufficient evidence" to seize cellphones, laptops, and documents during the raids.

The targets of these raids included a Democratic legislative candidate in a crucial swing district, her political consultant, campaign workers, a local mayor, and a city council member. These individuals, predominantly Latina women, expressed their distress and outrage at the morning visits from armed investigators, during which they were forced to hand over their personal belongings.

Mary Ann Obregón, 80, the mayor of Dilley, Texas, recounted being threatened with arrest if she refused to surrender her cellphone. Three other elderly Latina women, including an 87-year-old retired educator and a 73-year-old Dilley City Council member, were also compelled to surrender their phones and laptops. In their accounts, they likened the experience to gestapo-style tactics and questioned the preservation of their freedoms in a supposedly free country.

LULAC President Roman Palomares urged the Justice Department's civil rights office to open an investigation into these raids, accusing Attorney General Paxton of using his office to intimidate and harass Latino leaders and organizations in an attempt to suppress their vote in crucial district races. Palomares highlighted that three of the targeted women were certified by the state to educate their communities on mail-in ballots and had devoted years to registering Latino voters.

Describing the raids as blatant voter intimidation, Palomares emphasized that LULAC has long been dedicated to increasing Latino participation in elections. The organization previously sued Paxton and the state, successfully preventing the purging of 95,000 Latino voters from the rolls.

As of now, no charges have been filed against the individuals whose homes were raided. Critics of Attorney General Paxton allege that his pursuit of election fraud cases, often targeting Hispanic and Black Texans, has resulted in dismissed charges, lost court cases, and ruined lives over the past decade.

Supporters of Paxton argue that he is utilizing the powers of his office appropriately. However, voices from within the affected community, including Democratic Party nominee Cecilia Castellano, expressed concerns that the raids are being used to undermine her campaign in a closely watched Texas House seat race. Castellano, a first-time candidate, also owns a construction business with her husband and believes that the raids are politically motivated to tarnish her reputation.

Castellano discovered that she was mentioned in affidavits related to a separate vote-harvesting investigation in a neighboring county, which were referred to Paxton's office. Nevertheless, she and the other targeted individuals maintain that they have no connection to the investigation and worry about the impact these raids will have on voter turnout.

LULAC Texas state director Gabriel Rosales, who has personal connections to the affected families, expressed concern about potentially being targeted by Paxton as well. He vowed to fight back and emphasized the importance of voter engagement as a means to achieve justice and equality.

The actions of the Texas Attorney General's office have drawn attention and prompted calls for federal intervention to ensure the protection of civil rights and the integrity of the democratic process. The League of United Latin American Citizens continues to advocate for the rights and representation of Latino communities in Texas.