Texas GOP looks to make California enforce arrest warrants amid redistricting battle

Texas GOP officials on Saturday upped their calls for Democrats who fled the state for California to be arrested, unseated and brought back to the Lone Star State amid a redistricting battle.

Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) and Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R) filed a legal complaint in California urging local law enforcement to act on arrest warrants issued by the Texas statehouse for their colleagues who left the state ahead of a controversial redistricting vote.

“Texans are fed up with lawmakers who refuse to do their jobs and instead run away to states like California to exploit radical governors’ broken political systems as a shield,” Paxton said in a Saturday statement. 

“[California Gov.] Gavin Newsom [(D)] may be comfortable with lawlessness and the protection of corrupt legislators, but Texas will not tolerate elected officials who defy the Constitution for political theater,” he added.  

Burrows said the legislature would not be able to conduct votes on disaster-relief funding with absent members and echoed Paxton’s demand for lawmakers to be returned. The two have also encouraged Gov. JB Pritzker (D-Ill.) to force lawmakers to vacate his state.

Texas Democrats fled on Sunday to blue states, including California, Illinois, New York and New Jersey, to delay a statehouse vote that would give Republicans five additional seats in Congress. 

Without a quorum, or the proper number of lawmakers present to hold a vote, legislation cannot be passed. 

The departure of state Democrats has made national news and President Trump has weighed in, suggesting the FBI “may have to” get involved in returning them.

The president has also said Republicans are “entitled” to more seats in Congress, where the party holds a slim majority in the House.

State officials in California on Friday announced it would hold a special election to redraw voting maps this upcoming November.