Last week, state House Democrats left Texas for states including Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts in order to block a vote on a GOP-led redistricting map.
Texas Republicans filed a lawsuit on Thursday asking a court in Illinois to enforce arrest warrants for Democrats who left Texas earlier this week in a bid to block the GOP from advancing a redistricting map.
The filing, led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, asks the Illinois Eighth Judicial Circuit Court to enforce arrest warrants for the Democrats that were issued in Texas but don’t apply in other states.
“The Texas Representatives named herein hope the State of Illinois will provide safe harbor for their political actions and shield them from legal process,” they wrote in the filing, referring to the Democratic lawmakers who fled to Illinois.
“The United States Constitution, federal statute, and the doctrine of comity between states demand otherwise.”
The court filing adds that the Texas House of Representatives aims to seek a court order that recognizes warrants that were issued earlier this week, requesting that judges in Illinois issue “civil warrants directing the appropriate Illinois law enforcement officials to effectuate the civil arrest” of the Texas Democrats.
It is also asking the court to coordinate with the House’s Sergeant-at-Arms and the Texas Department of Public Safety to have the lawmakers returned to the Lone Star State.
Last week, state House Democrats left Texas for states including Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts in order to block Republicans in the House from achieving a quorum, denying them the ability to conduct legislative business.
The Democrats said that the move is designed to block the redistricting map effort, while Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other top Texas Republicans have called for their arrest.
Abbott on Thursday warned that Democrats who fled the state to block the GOP-led congressional redistricting effort will ultimately be unsuccessful because he’d continue to call special legislative sessions to advance the new map.
“Democrats act like they’re not going to come back as long as this is an issue,” Abbott told NBC News in an interview that aired Thursday.
“That means they’re not going to come back until like 2027 or 2028, because I’m going to call special session after special session after special session with the same agenda items on there.”
Abbott said on Thursday that the FBI may be involved in trying to retrieve the Democrats, while Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said in a post on social media that FBI Director Kash Patel had responded to a letter requesting that the bureau get involved.
When asked by NBC whether the FBI could be involved in the political fight, the Republican governor said that he is “not going to disclose, though all may or may not be involved,” but would use “every tool that we can.”
Earlier in the week, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said in a news conference that his administration is “going to do everything we can to protect every single one of them,” in reference to the Democratic Texas legislators who went to his state.
Pritzker and the Texas Democrats have said that the GOP redistricting effort is unconstitutional and that the Democratic legislators’ decision to leave the state is necessary.
In the midst of warnings that the Democrats would face penalties, Pritzker said their actions are a “righteous act of courage” and that they “were left no choice but to leave their home state, block a vote from taking place.”
As the Texas map was unveiled, President Donald Trump said he supports the state GOP’s efforts. Other states could follow, he told reporters last month.
“There could be some other states [where] we’re going to get another three, or four, or five in addition. Texas would be the biggest one,” Trump said in July. “Just a very simple redrawing, we pick up five seats.”
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