GOP's House map overhaul: Texas governer Greg Abbott orders arrest of Democratic lawmakers who fled state; session remains halted

Texas Republican governor Greg Abbott on Monday ordered state authorities to arrest dozens of Democratic lawmakers who fled to Illinois in an effort to block a Republican-led congressional redistricting vote, intensifying a political standoff that has brought the legislative session to a halt.“To ensure compliance, I ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to locate, arrest, and return to the House chamber any member who has abandoned their duty to Texans,” Abbott said. “This order will remain in effect until all missing Democrat House members are accounted for and brought to the Texas Capitol,” he added as quoted by The New York Post.

The walkout by 51 House Democrats prevented the Texas legislature from reaching the two-thirds quorum required for a vote, stalling a special legislative session called by Abbott.

The session was aimed at advancing redistricting plans, providing disaster relief for recent Texas floods, and banning THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana.“Texas House Democrats abandoned their duty to Texans,” Abbott said in a statement. “By fleeing the state, Texas House Democrats are holding hostage critical legislation to aid flood victims and advance property tax relief. There are consequences for dereliction of duty.”

The Texas house ofrepresentatives voted 85-6 on Monday to approve a motion calling for the Democrats to return. House Speaker Dustin Burrows then directed the chamber’s sergeant at arms “to send for all absentees … under warrant of arrest, if necessary.”Most of the absent lawmakers traveled to Illinois, where dozens joined Democratic Governor JB Pritzker on Sunday night at the DuPage County Democratic Party headquarters.Roughly half a dozen other Democrats joined New York Governor Kathy Hochul in Albany on Monday.“If that’s what’s called for, that’s what’s called for,” Hochul said of the decision to leave Austin. She went on to call Abbott “un-American” and accused him of “rigging” the next congressional election for the GOP, reported The New York Post.“To subvert the will of the people, they’re hellbent on rigging the system. Rigging the system is un-American. Congressional districts are never drawn mid-decade,” she argued.The redistricting proposal, supported by President Trump, could net Republicans up to five additional seats in the US house of representatives—potentially expanding the GOP’s narrow majority in the 2026 midterm elections.