Paxton asks Illinois court to enforce Texas arrest warrants against state House Democrats

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) is asking an Illinois court to enforce arrest warrants against Democrats who fled to the Prairie State over GOP efforts to redraw Texas's congressional maps.

On Monday, the Texas House approved arrest warrants for Democratic state lawmakers who state troopers can locate. However, those warrants are only enforceable within Texas.

Paxton’s petition to Illinois’s 8th Judicial Circuit Court asks for the "enforcement of the rule of law in Illinois, the assistance of Illinois law enforcement officials, and this Court’s assistance, to lawfully return to Texas the Respondent legislators who fled to Illinois to evade their duties to participate in the ongoing Special Session of the Texas Legislature."

The Democrats fled the state Sunday to deny the GOP a legislative quorum in an effort to prevent the redrawing of Texas’s congressional maps. President Trump is aiming to pick up five seats there ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Paxton's request comes after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said earlier Thursday that the FBI is “tracking down” Democratic state lawmakers who fled.

“Texas DPS and the FBI are tracking down the derelict Democrats. They will be taken directly to the Texas Capitol,” Abbott wrote on the social platform X.  

“Those who received benefits for skipping a vote face removal from office and potential bribery charges,” he continued. “In Texas, there are consequences for your actions.” 

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) also on Thursday said the FBI had approved his request for them to help law enforcement agencies track down the Democrats.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) said Sunday that his state would protect Texas Democrats who fled to his state.

“They’re here in Illinois. We’re going to do everything we can to protect every single one of them and make sure that — because we know they’re doing the right thing, we know that they’re following the law,” Pritzker told reporters at a press conference Sunday night held alongside the Texas state lawmakers. 

“It’s Ken Paxton who doesn’t follow the law. It’s the leaders of Texas who are attempting not to follow the law,” he continued, calling out Texas’s Republican attorney general by name. “They’re the ones that need to be held accountable.”