LULAC Hails Department Of Justice Lawsuit On Texas Redistricting
Nation’s Largest and Oldest Latino Civil Rights Organization Calls Voting Rights Protections Vital with Repeat of the 1950s
Washington, DC – The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) issued the following statement Monday in the wake of a new lawsuit filed against the State of Texas by the U.S. Department of Justice. The federal action announced by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said that Texas' new redistricting maps discriminate against Latinos and other minorities while unfairly increasing the power of white voters. Ironically, the announcement made in Washington, DC came as LULAC General Counsel, Luis Roberto Vera, Jr., was laid to rest in San Antonio, Texas. Vera died November 21, 2021, following a long illness. He spearheaded several recent voting rights lawsuits against Texas for the same reasons cited Monday by Attorney General Merrick.
Domingo Garcia, LULAC National President
“LULAC welcomes the Department of Justice joining us in the fight against the illegal, unconstitutional, and weaponized gerrymandering by the Republican leadership of Texas to disenfranchise Latino and African American voters. Clearly, this shows that the Voting Rights Act is needed now more than ever as we have seen that the Republicans of Texas don’t follow the law, don't follow the Constitution and not even the basic tenants of fairness and equity. It is an indisputable fact that 95% of the growth in Texas from 2010 to 2020 is because of minority communities. Yet, when Texas is the only state that gets two new congressional districts, Republicans crack and pack the process to create two new white Republican districts! The result is clear and intentional discrimination of the most blatant sort not seen since the 1950s. Luis Vera fought against this injustice until his last breath and we welcome his parting gift. LULAC is determined to continue the battle, now joined by the DOJ."
###
About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest Hispanic civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services, and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting the critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit https://lulac.org/