New York Attorney General Letitia James has led a coalition of 16 attorneys general in urging the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to initiate a civil rights investigation into recent raids by the Texas attorney general’s office. These raids, conducted on August 20, 2024, targeted Latino voting rights organizers, candidates for office, and volunteers. Ordered by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the raids resulted in the seizure of personal property from local organizers and candidates.
"The raids by the Texas attorney general against Latino organizers and candidates for office are disturbing, unwarranted, and un-American,” said Attorney General James. “The victims were targeted simply because of their work to increase political participation in the Latino community. Trying to intimidate volunteers and candidates from participating in the electoral process is unacceptable. I am proud to lead my fellow attorneys general in urging the DOJ to investigate this incident because we all stand for the rule of law in our states and throughout the nation. We cannot normalize voter intimidation or abusive government interference in our free and fair elections.”
In their letter, Attorney General James and her colleagues argue that these actions by the Texas attorney general’s office sought to intimidate voters of color by conducting raids and seizing property from organizers and Latino candidates. The coalition calls on DOJ to determine whether these actions constitute violations of civil rights, including voting rights. They emphasize that there has been no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the United States and claim that these raids perpetuate baseless claims aimed at intimidating voters of color.
“Hispanic Federation commends Attorney General James for her leadership in calling for action regarding the Texas Attorney General’s office’s egregious and unprecedented raids targeting Latine activists and election volunteers,” said Frankie Miranda, President and CEO of Hispanic Federation. “This recent heinous violation of civil and constitutional rights is only the latest in a string of preposterous attacks on Latines who simply want to participate in the democratic process like any other American. The DOJ must honor this call to safeguard America’s democratic freedoms.”
Joining Attorney General James are attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington D.C.
Attorney General James has been an advocate for protecting voting rights and ensuring safe access to polls. In September 2024, she issued a guide titled “Protecting New Yorkers from AI-Generated Election Misinformation” aimed at identifying and reporting misinformation generated by artificial intelligence about upcoming elections. Additionally, she successfully defended the New York Early Mail Voter Act in August 2024 and secured up to $1.25 million from two conspiracy theorists who intimidated Black voters with menacing robocalls earlier this year.