Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the state’s Department of Public Safety to arrest Democratic legislators who failed to appear for a special redistricting session on Monday.
State-level Democrats have fled the state to deny the GOP-controlled legislature a quorum as they consider new congressional maps. Abbott’s order follows a motion passed by Republicans in Austin that allowed civil arrest warrants to be issued for their colleagues.
Abbott asked the DPS to “locate, arrest, and return to the House chamber any member who has abandoned their duty to Texans” and said the order “will remain in effect until all missing Democrat House members are accounted for and brought to the Texas Capitol.”
Abbott’s statement is in line with one issued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton earlier in the day. Paxton accused the Democrats of “a cowardly desertion of their responsibilities as elected officials.”
“These jet-setting runaways abandoned Texas, abdicated their duties in the House, and sacrificed their constituents for a publicity stunt,” Paxton said in a statement.“It’s imperative that they be swiftly arrested, punished, and face the full force of the law for turning their backs on the people of Texas.”
The arrest warrants and Abbott’s order are largely for show. The governor and state police do not have the authority to arrest the absent Democrats, as they have fled to other states.
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The Texas GOP is pushing a Trump-approved redistricting map that could add five Republican seats to the state’s delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives. Redrawing congressional maps in the middle of the decade is extremely unusual, as redistricting typically occurs around the time of the U.S. Census. The draft map packs Democratic voters into more condensed districts while pushing some voters in safely Republican districts into contested areas currently held by Democrats.
The Texas Democratic Caucus spent Monday taunting Abbott and frustrated Republicans. When the governor threatened to remove the absent lawmakers from office, the minority party issued a four-word statement: “Come and take it.”
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