Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered state police to find and arrest Democratic lawmakers after civil arrest warrants were issued by the state House. This move is part of a standoff that began when over 50 Democrats fled the state to delay votes on a redistricting map that would give Republicans five more congressional seats. Democrats argue that by fleeing the state, they are holding hostage critical legislation to aid flood victims and advance property tax relief. Abbott has ordered the state Department of Public Safety to find, arrest, and return any member who has abandoned their duty to Texans.
The order will remain in effect until all missing Democrat House members are accounted for and brought to the Texas Capitol. DPS officers are state law enforcement agents, meaning their authority ends at the Texas state border. If lawmakers are found within Texas, DPS can detain them and escort them to the Capitol. Democrats claim the redistricting map is “illegal voter suppression of Black and Latino Central Texans” and a “threat to American democracy.” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, and some of the Texas political leaders who fled the state will hold a briefing in Chicago on Tuesday, the day before the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act.
