A motion to issue arrest warrants for the dozens of Texas Democrat legislators who fled the state Sunday to prevent their Republican colleagues from voting on a congressional redistricting map has been passed by the state’s House of Representatives.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton confirmed that he will work to “hunt down” the 51 Democrats who left Texas in order to delay the vote in a statement on X:
“Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately,” Paxton wrote following reports that the lawmakers fled to blue states like Illinois in protest of the Republican-favored redistricting .
He added, “We should use every tool at our disposal to hunt down those who think they are above the law.”
Texas House Democrats confirmed they left the state to stop a so-called “Trump Texas Takeover,” calling the proposed maps “racially-motivated” and “corrupt”:
The state House’s sergeant-at-arms and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) have the legal authority to retrieve absent representatives within Texas borders, State Rep. Nate Schatzline (R) said:
Since Democrat members left the state entirely, Schatzline said Gov. Greg Abbott (R) “has the constitutional authority to declare their seats vacant under the Texas Election Code,” which would lower the quorum threshold for a House vote on the redistricting map.
“I support the immediate arrest of these rogue lawmakers who’ve fled their duties,” Paxton said in a follow-up, after re-posting Schatzline’s statement. “These radical Democrats are spitting in the face of every Texan they swore to represent. This is cowardice and dereliction of duty, and they should face the full force of the law without apology.”
After the Democrats who fled the state did not return to the chamber by the 3:00 p.m. deadline, House Speaker Dustin Burrows vowed to sign civil warrants permitting the sergeant-at-arms and state troopers to arrest and return them to the state Capitol, the Daily Caller reported.
“The sergeant-at-arms and any appointed by her are directed to send for all absentees whose attendance is not excused for the purpose of securing and maintaining their attendance, under warrant of arrest if necessary, until further order of the House,” Burrows said.
The arrest warrant does not come with any civil or criminal charges for the representatives, according to the Texas Tribune.
Abbott ordered DPS to “locate, arrest, and return to the House chamber any member who has abandoned their duty to Texans” to ensure compliance with Burrows’ directive:
“This order will remain in effect until all missing Democrats are accounted for,” the governor said.
He also ordered a criminal investigation on Monday on suspicion of “potential bribery” and any other legal violations that could have been committed during the stunt after receiving reports that Democrat members may have solicited or received funds to evade the vote:
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.
