Texas governor orders Dems arrested as showdown escalates
Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) has ordered the arrest of Democratic lawmakers who left the state to avoid a quorum over a redistricting map they claim amounts to gerrymandering.
According to his X account, the governor ordered the arrests shortly after the Texas legislature cleared the way with a vote on Monday afternoon.
The redistricting map that President Donald Trump encouraged could give Texas Republicans five additional seats in the U.S. Congress.
Democrats who fled the state said they're willing to face the consequences of breaking the quorum.
"We are elected officials. We have volunteered for this," Gene Wu (D), chair of the Texas State House Democratic Caucus, told CNN Monday. "We have committed to sacrificing our lives to protect the people of the state of Texas and that is exactly what we do."
Also Monday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton released his own statement on X, writing, "House Democrats have fled the state in a cowardly desertion of their responsibilities. These jet-setting runaways abandoned Texas and sacrificed their constituents for a publicity stunt. It’s imperative that they be swiftly arrested, punished, and face the full force of the law."
The Texas Tribune pointed out that the warrants "apply only within state lines, making them largely symbolic as most of the legislators in question decamped to Illinois, New York and Massachusetts."
Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) vowed to support the Democratic lawmakers from Texas who fled to his state, writing, "Donald Trump is trying to cheat the system in Texas, but these Democratic legislators refuse to let it happen without a fight. Their fight is our fight. I’m proud to stand side-by-side with them as they protect their constituents."