Attorney General Raoul calls for DOJ investigation into Texas raids targeting Latino candidates and campaign volunteers
Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 16 attorneys general, today urged the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to open a civil rights investigation into recent raids by the Texas attorney general’s office that targeted Latino voting rights organizers, candidates for office, and volunteers. The raids conducted on Aug. 20 were ordered by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and involved his office seizing the personal property of local organizers and candidates for office. In a letter sent today, Attorney General Raoul and the coalition urge the DOJ to open an investigation into these raids, specifically into whether they constitute violations of civil rights, including the right to vote.
“As Illinois’ Attorney General, I swore an oath to protect the rights of all residents. The idea that one of my fellow attorneys general would use the authority of the office to try to intimidate their residents is unconscionable,” Raoul said. “I urge the Department of Justice to open an immediate investigation to determine whether the August 20 raids violated the civil rights of Latino candidates and voting rights activists in Texas. Any public official who attempts to use their authority to intimidate people out of participating in our nation’s democracy must be held accountable.”
In the letter, Raoul and the coalition argue that the Texas attorney general’s office sought to intimidate voters of color by conducting raids and seizing property from organizers and Latino candidates. They are calling on the DOJ to investigate whether these actions constitute violations of civil rights, including voting rights.
There has never been evidence of widespread voter fraud anywhere in the United States. By conducting these Aug. 20 raids on homes belonging to Latino candidates and voting rights activists, Raoul and his colleagues argue that the Texas attorney general’s office is perpetuating a racist claim aimed at intimidating voters of color.
Joining Attorney General Raoul in sending this letter are attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Vermont.