[ MUSIC ] >> WELCOME BACK TO AMERICA DECIDES. LATINO ACTIVISTS ARE CALLING INTO AN INVESTIGATION AFTER A SERIES OF RAIDS CONDUCTED BY ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE AFTER INVESTIGATING ALLEGATIONS OF VOTING IMPROPRIETIES. IN PAXTON'S OFFICE SAYS THESE UNDERCOVER OPERATIONS ARE HAPPENING IN RESPONSE TO ALLEGATIONS THAT SURFACED THAT ACCUSE SOME ORGANIZATIONS IN TEXAS OF POSSIBLY UNLAWFULLY REGISTERING NONCITIZENS, OR ENGAGING IN BALLOT HARVESTING. THE LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN CITIZENS IS CALLING IT POINT-BLANK VOTER INTIMIDATION. IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU, DESCRIBE WHAT HAPPENED IN THESE RAIDS, AND WHAT RAISES THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF CONCERN FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION.>> HELLO, MAJOR GARRETT. WHAT WE HEARD ON THURSDAY WAS VERY CONCERNING TO US. TUESDAY MORNING, 6:00 A.M., LYDIA MARTINEZ, A 35 YEAR MEMBER WAS SERVED WITH A SEARCH WARRANT, 728 POLICE OFFICERS ENTERED HER HOME AND INTERROGATED HER FOR OVER THREE HOURS, LOOKING FOR CELL PHONES, COMPUTERS, DOCUMENTATION RELATIVE TO HER VOTER REGISTRATION EFFORTS IN SAN ANTONIO.>> AND WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF THE INFORMATION THAT LED THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE TO TAKE THESE ACTIONS? >> YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A COUPLE NARRATIVES WE ARE HEARING, ESSENTIALLY HE'S SAYING THEY STARTED THIS INVESTIGATION OVER TWO YEARS AGO, IT SEEMS LIKE IT GOES BACK TO A REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE WHO LOST AND REPORTED VOTER HARVESTING. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE PROVIDED WHATSOEVER.>> SO, THESE RAIDS HAVE OCCURRED BECAUSE SUBPOENAS WERE ISSUED, AND YOU ARE STILL TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT THE SOURCE MATERIAL OR EVIDENTIARY BASIS WAS? >> THAT IS CORRECT. FROM WHAT WE CAN TELL, THERE HAVE BEEN FIVE DIFFERENT SUBPOENAS ISSUED AS OF LAST TUESDAY, UNFORTUNATELY IT TOOK US 48 HOURS TO LEARN OF THIS, BECAUSE THE VICTIMS IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE WERE TOLD NOT TO TALK TO ANYONE ABOUT IT. THEY WERE LEFT WITHOUT CELL PHONES, WITHOUT COMPUTERS, AND LYDIA MARTINEZ WAS LEFT WITHOUT HER APPOINTMENT BOOK, WHICH SHE USES TO TRACK DOCTORS APPOINTMENTS AND PRESCRIPTION MEDICINE, NO WAY TO CONTACT HER FAMILY, SHE HAD TO DRIVE TO A NEIGHBOR'S HOME TO GET HELP REJECTING WITH HER FAMILY. >> HAS THERE BEEN ANY EFFORT TO OBTAIN A JUDICIAL INJUNCTION ON THIS ACTIVITY? >> ONE OF THE DEFENDANTS HAS A LAWYER AND AN INJUNCTION TO STOP THE SEARCH OF THE DEVICES USED AND SEIZED DURING THAT RAID. WE ARE WORKING WITH MEMBERS TO ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE LEGAL PROTECTION AND LEGAL COUNSEL, AS WELL. >> THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE SAYS, AS IT DID IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THIS, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF MAKING SURE THAT VOTING IS LEGAL AND PROPER IN TEXAS. WHAT ABOUT THAT SOUNDS INTIMIDATING TO YOUR ORGANIZATION? WAS IT THE WAY THE RAIDS WERE CONDUCTED? >> THIS IS A PATTERN THAT THE ATTORNEY GENERAL PAXTON HAS BEEN PURSUING FOR SOME TIME, IN EARLY JUNE, HE WENT AFTER THAT CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF RIO GRANDE VALLEY, AND ESTEEMED ORGANIZATION DIVIDES SUPPORT FOR IMMIGRANTS, AND LEGALLY, IN THE UNITED STATES, IN JULY, HE WILL WENT AFTER A REFUGEE HOME FOR MIGRANTS, AS WELL, A COUPLE WEEKS AGO HE WENT AFTER LATINO AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE SERVING THE COMMUNITY AND ACTING AS A SOCIAL SAFETY GOVERNMENT WHEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CANNOT PROVIDE FOR THESE FAMILIES, JUST LAST WEEK, HE WENT AFTER COMMUNITY LEADERS. THE BIG SURPRISE WAS ESSENTIALLY THAT, HE IS GOING BEYOND THE PALE, GOING AFTER INDIVIDUALS, LATINO LEADERS, CIVIC LEADERS THAT ARE DOING WHAT THEY SHOULD BE DOING, ENGAGING LATINOS WHO ARE UP TO VOTE IN THESE ELECTIONS. >> DOES IT TELL YOU ABOUT THE STATE OF PLAY THAT THIS ACTIVITY HAS TAKEN ON PROVIDENCE IN HEADLINES? HOW DO YOU BELIEVE THE ORGANIZATION AND THOSE SYMPATHETIC WITH IT IN TEXAS ARE LIKELY TO RESPOND? >> MAJOR GARRETT, THERE HAS BEEN A HUGE SHIFT IN TEXAS. TODAY, AS IT STANDS, THERE ARE 12.1 MILLION HISPANICS IN TEXAS, 39% OF THE POPULATION IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. LATINOS ACTUALLY OUTNUMBER NON- HISPANIC WHITES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. WHEN YOU ACCOUNT FOR HISPANICS, AFRICAN AMERICANS, ASIAN AMERICANS, YOU ARE TALKING 50% OF THE POPULATION OF TEXAS ARE MINORITIES. TEXAS IS NOW A MAJORITY MINORITY STATE, AND REPUBLICANS IN CONTROL ARE AFRAID THEY WILL EXERCISE THEIR VOTE AND VOTE THEM OUT OF OFFICE. >> DO YOU BELIEVE TEXAS AND THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IS ACTUALLY IN PLAY?>> YOU KNOW, THERE ARE CERTAIN SPECIFIC DISTRICTS THAT ARE ABSOLUTELY IN PLAY, RIGHT? ONE OF THOSE SEARCH WARRANTS WAS ON A CANDIDATE RUNNING IN DISTRICT 60, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO QUESTION THAT THIS IS A VOTER INTIMIDATION TACTIC, IT IS AN EFFORT TO THREATEN COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS AND LEADERS, AND TO CHILL THE LATINO VOTE. WE ARE WRITING A LETTER, I'VE WRITTEN A LETTER AND DELIVERED A LETTER TO THE ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL IN