Members of the nation’s oldest Latino civil rights group were stunned when the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) announced its endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
The organization had always stated that its commitment to politics would be nonpartisan, as written in Article III of its bylaws: “to keep the League free from all participation in partisan politics as an organization.”
They learned that the organization’s leaders had submitted a request the day before to launch the LULAC Adelante PAC, a political action committee where the leadership unanimously endorsed Harris.
The PAC is chaired by Domingo Garcia, a former LULAC president who frequently clashed with members over his partisan politics.
LULAC’s decision to form a political action committee and endorse Harris surprised members of the historic organization
Interestingly, Garcia had previously fought with LULAC members for attempting to politicize the organization, remembering members in 2022 that the group “has always been nonpartisan.” portrayed He presented himself as a courageous defender of the organization that was besieged by a “hostile takeover” for political reasons.
Garcia now leads the political action group and told news organizations that the organization was “driven to act by concerns about the potential negative impact on Latinos” if former President Donald Trump is reelected.
That surprised Roy Morales, a member of LULAC Council 4968 in Harris County, Texas.
“I was very surprised,” Morales told DailyMail.com.
He recalled the many times politicians asked for the organization’s endorsement but were turned down because of the group’s nonpartisan nature.
Telemundo news anchor Leticia Castro and former LULAC national president Domingo Garcia at an event
Roy Morales, member of LULAC Council 4968 in Harris County, Texas
Republicans, Democrats and independents were “blindsided” by Friday’s policy announcement, he said.
The PAC’s claim that Trump was threatening the Latino community, Morales said, did not reflect his experience.
“That’s their opinion,” he said, noting that “young Latinos in Harris County, Texas, have moved in the direction of Donald Trump.”
The news that the group had formed a political action committee came as a shock to members, who had gathered at the national convention weeks earlier, where the issue was not mentioned or discussed.
“Why was this issue not raised during the national convention a few weeks ago?” Morales asked.
There was no move to amend the organization’s bylaws to clarify the PAC’s role and keep it separate from the existing organization. What was even more galling was the PAC’s use of the LULAC logo.
“If they are supposed to be separate, why are they using the logo?” he asked.
LULAC member Carmen Cavazos said she was used to the leftist tone of the organization’s leadership, but said she joined to support the values of the group’s mission and how it could help her community.
“The consensus in LULAC, especially in our chapter, is that we do not in any way condone the development of the PAC,” he said.
The sudden creation of the PAC left it unclear who was funding it until the records are published later this year.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a conversation at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Leadership Conference
US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris
He said there was bipartisan frustration with the decision to enter politics and endorse Harris.
“LULAC Democratic chapters are against this ad because our bylaws are essentially supposed to prohibit it,” he said.
LULAC Executive Director Juan Proaño, who takes office in 2023, had already shifted the organization toward a more leftist position, particularly on illegal immigration.
Proaño also raised suspicions about his political alliances, as a fundraising contractor for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the NAACP.
Morales was surprised that Proaño commented in favor of the PAC’s decision, even though he was expected to be the leader of a nonpartisan civil rights group.
Morales said the organization should remain focused on Latino families in the community, rather than partisan politics.
Members of the organization are now quietly working to express their separation from the LULAC PAC and reestablish the nonpartisan nature of the historic organization.
“LULAC and the organization itself do not approve of what was announced on Friday. We do not support any of the parties because we have to remain anonymous according to our bylaws,” Cavazos said. “We will clarify this to the general public in some way.”
A LULAC press representative did not respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com.