New York state Attorney General Letitia James led a coalition of 16 other attorneys general around the nation in calling for the U.S. Department of Justice to open a civil rights investigation into raids by the Texas attorney general’s office that targeted Latino voting rights organizers, candidates and volunteers, her office announced Thursday.

The raids were conducted on Aug. 20 in the San Antonio area and seized personal property of local organizers and candidates for office and ordered by Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Volunteers whose homes were searched included an 80-year-old woman who told her associates that agents were at her house for two hours and took medicine, along with her smartphone and watch.

Paxton said a local prosecutor referred to his office “allegations of election fraud and vote harvesting” during the 2022 election but no charges have been filed against any targets of the searches.

James wants the DOJ to investigate if the raids constitute violations of civil rights, including the right to vote.

“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,” James said in a statement. “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 a letter to the DOJ, James and the coalition argue the Texas attorney general’s office sought to intimidate voters of color by conducting raids and seizing the property of organizers and Latino candidates.

Joining James are the state AGs of Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Francine made landfall in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana as a category 2 storm with sustained winds of 100 mph.

Francine formed into a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday, Sept. 9, becoming the sixth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. It became a hurricane on Tuesday, Sept. 10. 

Francine is moving northeast through Louisiana bringing heavy rainfall and hurricane-force winds gusts. 

Tropical Storm Francine is weakening as it moves through Louisina and into Mississippi. it will move inland into the lower Mississippi River Valley Thursday.

This system is bringing heavy rainfall and flooding potential to parts of the Gulf Coast and Deep South through late-week.

The highest rainfall totals look to be around Louisiana and up the Mississippi River Valley, where flooding is possible.

Along with significant flash flooding, winds that could gust up to 75 mph are possible through the early morning Thursday.

Storm surge threats have gone down, but some more minor storm surge flooding could occur. 

Tropical Storm Warnings are still in effect along the Gulf Coast stretching from Louisiana toward Mississippi and Alabama.

Here’s a look at the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season so far.

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