Latino civil rights group denounces Texas AG Ken Paxton's raids as voter intimidation

Published: Aug 26, 2024 Duration: 00:04:17 Category: News & Politics

Trending searches: ken paxton texas
MARIE, LAST WEEK. >> THAT MUST BE SO FRUSTRATING. SO MUCH UNCERTAINTY. NANCY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >>> THE LARGEST LATIN AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATION IS CALLING FOR A FEDERAL INVESTIGATION INTO A SERIES OF RAIDS CONDUCTED BY THE TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE TO COMBAT, WHAT THEY SAY IS VOTER FRAUD. AG, KEN PAXTON'S OFFICE SAYS THESE UNDERCOVER OPERATIONS WERE HAPPENING IN RESPONSE TO REPORTS THAT ORGANIZATIONS IN TEXAS MAY BE UNLAWFULLY REGISTERING NON-CITIZENS TO VOTE, OR ENGAGING IN BALLOT HARVESTING. BUT THE LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN CITIZENS IS DENOUNCING THE RAIDS AS QUOTE POINT BLACK VOTER INTIMIDATION. THE CEO WAS ON AMERICA DECIDES YESTERDAY, SAYING THIS IS A PATTERN THAT PAXTON HAS BEEN PURSUING TO KEEP LATINOS FROM VOTING. >> HE'S GOING AFTER INDIVIDUALS, LATINO LEADERS, CIVIC LEADERS ESSENTIALLY IN THEIR COMMUNITY THAT ARE DOING WHAT THEY SHOULD BE DOING, WHICH IS ENGAGING LATINOS WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN THESE ELECTIONS. >> CBS NEWS CAMPAIGN REPORTER IS IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, FOLLOWING THE STORY FOR US. SO THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT CONFIRMS THEY RECEIVED A LETTER. WHAT IS LULAC ACCUSING THE AG OF DOING? >> Reporter: GOOD MORNING, IT WAS ON MONDAY WHEN LULAC OFFICIALLY SENT OVER THIS LETTER TO THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, AND THEY'RE ASKING FOR A FEDERAL INVESTIGATION INTO TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL KEN PAXTON'S OFFICE FOR CARRYING OUT THE SEARCH WARRANTS. LULAC IS CAMING THAT THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY A CASE OF VOTER FRAUD, BUT RATHER VOTER INTIMIDATION, AND LIKE YOU MENTIONED, THEY CALL IT POINT BLANK VOTER INTIMIDATION. THEY'RE ALSO ASKING FOR THE FEDERAL INVESTIGATION, BUT THEY'RE ALSO CALLING THIS A FRINGE ON CIVIL RIGHTS, AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RAIDS ON COMMUNITY LEADERS. IT'S THESE COMMUNITY LEADERS TASKED WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF REGISTERING VOTERS ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS. >> RIGHT. SO ON AMERICA DECIDES LAST NIGHT, LULAC'S CEO ALSO SPOKE ABOUT WHAT HE BELIEVES IS PAXTON'S TRUE ELECTIONS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ELECTION INTEGRITY. HE'S SAYING IT'S MORE LIKE VOTER SUPPRESSION. HERE'S WHAT HE HAD TO SAY. >> THERE ARE 12.1 MILLION HISPANICS IN TEXAS. THAT'S 39% OF THE POPULATION IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. TEXAS IS NOW A MAJORITY- MINORITY STATE. AND REPUBLICANS IN CONTROL ARE AFRAID THEY WILL EXERCISE THEIR VOTE, AND THEY WILL VOTE THEM OUT OF OFFICE. >> OKAY. SO HOW IS TEXAS'S ATTORNEY GENERAL DEFENDING HIMSELF? WHAT IS HE SAYING IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING DURING THESE RAIDS? >> Reporter: WELL THE ATTORNEY GENERAL HERE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS IS CLAIMING THAT ALL OF THIS IS PART OF HIS WORK TO TACKLE VOTER FRAUD. AND THIS IS ALL PART OF HIS ELECTION INTEGRITY UNIT. NOW THIS IS A UNIT THAT WAS BILLED HERE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS IN THE AFTERMATH OF FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP LOSS IN 2020, AND AFTER HE CLAIMED THERE WAS MASSIVE VOTER FRAUD ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY. SO THIS IS WHERE IT STEMS FROM. NOW PAXTON HAS THAT, IN HE'S GOING TO CONTINUE THIS WORK. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THESE SPECIFIC SEARCH WARRANTS, HIS OFFICE SAYS THIS IS ALL PART OF A TWO YEAR INVESTIGATION THAT LED TO THE SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO HAVE ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO BE ABLE TO EXECUTE THESE SEARCH WARRANTS, AND NOT ONLY SAYS THESE RAIDS HAPPEN, BUT THESE UNDERCOVER OPERATIONS ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO HAPPEN HERE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. >> TEXAS -- CAN WE TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT SORT OF WHERE AND WHEN THESE RAIDS WERE CARRIED OUT? >> Reporter: YES, THESE RAIDS HAVE BEEN ONGOING, AND WILL CONTINUE ACCORDING TO PAXTON'S OFFICE, SINCE THEY WERE ANNOUNCED JUST LAST WEEK ON THURSDAY. THESE HAVE ALL BEEN CARRIED ACROSS IN COUNTIES NEAR THE SAN ANTONIO AREA, BUT ALSO THROUGHOUT SOUTH TEXAS. OF COURSE, KEN PAXTON'S OFFICE SAID THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE COMMENTING THROUGHOUT THE DURATION OF THIS INVESTIGATION, SO ONCE WE KNOW MORE COUNTIES WE'LL BE SURE TO REPORT THIS. >> AND WE'RE ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT IN

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