Texas governor orders police to find, arrest Democrats in to Illinois over redistricting

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Texas House Republicans on Monday voted 85-6 to authorize the House sergeant-at-arms and related officers to track down and civilly arrest Democrats who left the state, many heading to Illinois, in protest of GOP redistricting efforts.

"The sergeant-at-arms and any officers appointed by her are directed to send for all absentees whose attendance is not excused for the purposes of securing and maintaining their attendance under warrant of arrest, if necessary, until further order of the House," said Republican state Rep. Dustin Burrows, the speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.

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Shortly after the vote, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said he ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to find and arrest the Democrats who left the state, an order which will remain in effect until they are "accounted for and brought back" to Austin.

The warrants, however, have no power outside state lines and it's unclear to what extent, if at all, Texas law enforcement may and could coordinate with their counterparts in the relevant states.

Later Monday, Abbott said he had asked the Texas Rangers to investigate the Democrats who left the state for potential law violations - including bribery for soliciting funds to support their effort.

"Reports indicate that many absentee Texas House Democrats have solicited or received funds to evade conducting legislative business and casting votes. Under the Texas Penal Code, any of those Democrats who solicit, accept, or agree to accept such funds to assist in the violation of legislative duties or for purposes of skipping a vote may have violated bribery laws. Also, it could be a bribery violation for any other person who offers, provides, or agrees to provide such funds to fleeing Democrat House members," the governor said in a statement.

The move comes amid a showdown over a Republican-led effort, backed by President Donald Trump, to create a new congressional map with control of the U.S. House potentially at stake.

Abbott had given Texas House Democrats a deadline of 3 p.m. local time on Monday to return to the statehouse for the special session or risk losing their jobs. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton suggested Democrats who left should be arrested and forcibly brought back, though he later admitted that would be a "challenge."

The response from the Texas House Democratic Caucus to Abbott's threat was, "Come and take it."

And Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, who has been supportive of the Texas Democrats and welcomed them to the Chicago area on Sunday night, posted on X, saying, "Greg Abbott is a coward."

The proposed congressional map in Texas could create up to five new Republican seats and help the party keep control of the House in the 2026 midterm elections. Consideration of the bill had been set for Monday, but couldn't proceed as the missing Democrats denied a quorum.

The 57 Texas House representatives who left the state want no part of voting on the new maps. Most left to Chicago on Sunday while others went to New York and Boston.

"Chicago and Illinois is becoming an epicenter of Constitutional hardball and resistance to the Trump agenda," said University of Chicago Political Science Professor Robert Pape.

Politicians leaving the state is a tried and true strategy. But this fight is happening on a bigger stage, said UChicago Political Science Professor Robert Pape.

Texas state Rep. Gene Wu chairs the Democratic caucus in Texas, and he and some of his colleagues holed up in the suburbs on Monday.

"We're not here for fun. We certainly didn't take this decision lightly. But you know this is, we know that this is absolutely the right thing to do, to protect the state of Texas and protect our people," Wu said during a press conference with Pritzker on Sunday.

A group of the Texas lawmakers held a press conference with Chicago-area politicians on Monday in Warrenville.

"I didn't run for office to walk out of the Capitol, but I also didn't run for office to stand by while democracy is stolen in broad daylight," said Texas Democratic state Rep. John Bucy.

"What they're trying to do in Texas affects you guys, but it affects the whole country," said Illinois Democratic Congresswoman Robin Kelly.

The Texas lawmakers dismissed threats from their governor, and they called on blue states to back their act of defiance.

"Here we are on the right side of history trying to stop the Texas steal by Abbott and Trump," said Texas Democratic state Rep. Ron Reynolds.

Leaving the state to prevent a quorum is not unusual. In 2011, Democrats from Indiana spent time in Urbana to prevent a vote on a collective bargaining bill. That same year, Wisconsin Democrats hid out in Rockford, also to avoid a vote on collective bargaining. And two years ago, Republican lawmakers in Oregon left the state over several issues, including abortion and gun rights. But this time, it is national.

"And it's Trump's steal of five congressional seats. That's all they care about. And so our goal as Texas Democrats is to stand up, ensure that they don't do this steal and to break this quorum for this session," said Texas Democratic state Rep. Ann Johnson.

Democrats say the proposed maps amount to racial gerrymandering, aimed at diluting Black and Latino voters.

"They are involved in an illegal act of intentional discrimination by tearing apart majority-minority congressional districts across our state and we are not going to stand for it and we are not gonna stand for it," Texas Democratic state Rep. Chris Turner said.

Republicans argue the new map, which would redraw congressional lines in cities like Austin, Houston and Dallas, is legal and is being pushed for political reasons, not racial ones.

The special session in Texas runs through Aug. 19. So, the question becomes, how long can Democrats stay away?

"Whatever strategy we choose, whatever tactics we figure out as we move on, the only thing we have in our minds is, 'What do we need to do to protect Texans?'" Wu said. "What do we need to do to protect Americans? And what each and every one of us has said is that we will do whatever it takes. What that looks like? We don't know, but we're here. We're committed to this."

Along with Abbott's arrest order, the lawmakers are facing fines of $500 each day they are gone and threats of expulsion that may be more bluster than legal reality.

"Our fellow Texans are being let down and not getting the flood relief they need, because these Democrats have absconded from the responsibility, and I believe they have forfeited their seats in the state legislature because they're not doing the job they were elected to do," Abbott said on Fox News.

But Democrats are vowing to stand strong despite the personal hardship of being gone.

"We're really hoping that in this time, we can buy an opportunity with our absence, buy an opportunity for Texans all over the state to stand up and tell the governor, 'We want you to protect us and not just play your political games,'" Wu said.

"When you know that the majority has gone off the rails and is doing something in violation of every constituency. And so, I don't take this lightly, but I also know that the threats that are making is just shows how desperate they are," Johnson said.

Pape says politicians leaving the state is a tried and true strategy. But this fight is happening on a bigger stage with greater stakes, potentially creating an electoral map that favors Republicans for the foreseeable future.

And by coming to Illinois, the Texas Democrats are also increasing the spotlight on Pritzker as a key figure opposing the Trump agenda.

"This story matters more for national politics and the role of Chicago in national politics than it does for the details of what's going to happen in Texas," Pape said.

Pritzker has offered his support to the Texas Democrats.

"Texas Democrats were left no choice but to leave their home state, block a vote from taking place and protect their constituents," Pritzker said. "This is a righteous act of courage and we can all take a page from these leaders' playbook."

Meanwhile, Republicans called Pritzker out over what they say are Illinois' own gerrymandered maps.

"Governor Pritzker getting involved in the Texas, you know, map-making issue is the height of hypocrisy," said Illinois Republican state Sen. John Curran. "The Illinois map is the most partisan in the nation, but what Gov. Pritzker should be doing is leading Illinois Democrats and working on fair maps."

And as some Democratic governors consider redrawing their state maps in response to Texas, retiring Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin expressed concern.

"I just have to tell you that it's pretty clear what President Trump is up to. He wants five new congressmen out of Texas at any cost. I hope that we don't revert to that nationwide," Durbin said.

Because the remapping push is coming from the head of the Oval Office, political science professor at North Central College Dr. Suzanne Chod says, this issue could impact more than just one state.

"It's not unlikely that other Republican governors are going to get the same kind of pressure from President Trump to say, 'Look what we've done here in Texas. Do what's right for me. Do what's right for the party,' and it's not unlikely that we might see other states as we've now seen with things coming out of Oregon try to do similar things," Chod said.

Chod may be correct, because as the redistricting battle heats up across the country, a House Republican will introduce legislation to ban mid-decade redrawing of congressional maps nationwide.

California GOP Rep. Kevin Kiley will formally introduce the bill on Tuesday, August 5th, which will "nullify new maps adopted by states before the 2030 census, including any that are adopted this year."

The congressman's focus is to push back against the redistricting proposals in California but says the measure "will also stop a damaging redistricting war from breaking out across the country."

"Gavin Newsom is trying to subvert the will of voters and do lasting damage to democracy in California. Fortunately, Congress has the ability to protect California voters using its authority under the Elections Clause of the U.S. Constitution," he added.

Most of the previous times when lawmakers have left their state, it has lasted several weeks, but ultimately, both sides worked out a compromise. In this case, experts say, both sides are pretty dug in, and this could go on for quite some time.

ABC News contributed to this report.