LULAC to ‘fight back’ after Paxton raids South Texas homes in voter fraud probe

McALLEN, Texas ( Border Report ) — A national Hispanic civil rights organization on Monday spoke out on behalf of a great-grandmother who had her San Antonio home searched by the Office of the Texas Attorney General as part of a probe into voter fraud.

On Aug. 20, nine agents from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office descended upon Lidia Martinez’ longtime home in San Antonio and she says they took her cellphone, appointment book and laptop computer and questioned her for three hours.

“They set me down and started searching all my house,” Martinez, 80, told reporters Monday at a press conference called by LULAC, League of United Latin American Citizens, in San Antonio. “After two hours of questioning they took me outside in front of all my neighbors for half an hour.”

She is among several residents who report having their homes searched last week, including several in the small town of Dilley in South Texas.

Martinez says she had been treated for COVID-19 and an upper respiratory infection and was barely released from a hospital the day before. She says agents had her wait outside in just a nightgown in the early morning without a robe.

“I asked why and he said, ‘Cuz there was fraud,'” she said.

Martinez is a longtime member of LULAC and says she has worked for years volunteering to help pass voter registration information to senior citizens in San Antonio.

Paxton last week said his office has opened an investigation into reports that organizations operating in Texas may be unlawfully registering noncitizens to vote in violation of state and federal law.

He said investigators from the Texas Attorney General’s Election Integrity Unit recently conducted undercover operations to identify potential voter registration of noncitizens in Texas.

“Texans are deeply troubled by the possibility that organizations purporting to assist with voter registration are illegally registering noncitizens to vote in our elections,” Paxton said in a statement . “My office is investigating every credible report we receive regarding potential criminal activity that could compromise the integrity of our elections.”

Martinez told Border Report on Monday afternoon that she has not been charged with anything but she says she doesn’t know if, or when, she will get back her belongings and she isn’t sure when her next doctor’s appointment is because she doesn’t have her calendar.

She says they asked her if she provided stamps for the seniors and she said she did not mail documents for them.

Gabriel Rosales, LULAC Texas state director, said the search and treatment of Martinez at her home was “unacceptable.”

“It is disgraceful and outrageous that the state of Texas, and its highest-ranking law enforcement officer, is once again using the power of his office to instill fear in the hearts of community members who volunteer their time to promote civic engagement,” Rosales said.

“We’re going to fight back. We’re going to stand up. We’re going to push back,” Rosales said. “This is unacceptable.’

“I have been contacted by elderly residents who are confused and frightened, wondering why they have been singled out. Attorney General Paxton’s actions clearly aim to suppress the Latino vote through intimidation and any means necessary to tilt the electoral process in favor of his political allies,” Rosales said.

Rosales accuses Paxton of launching the probe into potential voter fraud as a way to influence and intimidate voters in a hotly contested race for Texas House District 80.

That’s because another South Texas home that was searched on Aug. 20 belongs to Cecilia Castellano, the Democratic candidate for the District 80 seat.

She is running against Republican former Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin Jr., who was in office during the 2022 Robb Elementary School massacre.

Both are running for the open seat, which was held by Democrat state Rep. Tracy King, who is stepping down after holding that seat since 1994. The district includes six counties including Atascosa, south of San Antonio, as well as the counties of Dimmit, Frio, Uvalde, Webb and Zavala.

“It is clear to us that he is using his office to determine the outcome of elections and he is using his office to support his candidate in District 80,” Rosales said Monday.

David Cruz, LULAC national communications director, told Border Report the search and seizure of Martinez’ home crossed a line and Paxton’s probe stoking fear in the Hispanic community.

“We believe this is our moment — him having attacked an abuelita (grandmother). This is a woman who has never had a record,” Cruz said. “She is revered in our community. This is not just an anyone. We all see this as crossing the line he should never have crossed.”

“When a grandma is put outside of her house in a nightgown, what has America become?” Cruz said. “Intimidation is his goal — scare the others so they don’t go vote.”

“It is a crime to vote — or to register to vote — if you are not a United States citizen. Any wrongdoing will be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” Paxton said.

Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.

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