The Texas House of Representatives voted Monday to approve civil arrest warrants for Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to prevent a quorum, halting progress on Republican redistricting legislation that could net the GOP five new congressional seats in 2026.
With the 4:00 p.m. CT deadline come and gone and no quorum established, Speaker Dustin Burrows (R) announced he would sign warrants for the absent Democrats and ordered the Sergeant at Arms and law enforcement to locate and return them to the Capitol.
Abbott Orders DPS to Track Down “Delinquent” Lawmakers
Shortly after the vote, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to begin locating and detaining the fleeing lawmakers.
“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 in a statement Monday.
“This order will remain in effect until all missing Democrat House members are accounted for and brought to the Texas Capitol.”
Arrest Warrants and Expulsion on the Table
Speaker Burrows made clear that enforcement is now the priority:
“Should such a motion prevail, I will immediately sign the warrants for the civil arrest of the members who have said they will not be here,” he said on the House floor.
“As speaker, I will do everything in my power to establish quorum and move this body forward by any and all means available to this office.”
Abbott previously warned that lawmakers who fail to return may be subject to expulsion under Texas Attorney General Opinion No. KP-0382, which states that abandonment of office may trigger removal and replacement under Article III, Section 13 of the Texas Constitution.
Democrats Flee to Blue-State Enclaves
Democrats have scattered across Chicago, Boston, Albany, and other left-leaning cities. On Monday, they were joined by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who called their departure a “bold and unified response.”
“Texas Democrats have denied a quorum,” declared a press release from the Illinois State Democratic Party, praising the walkout as a stand against what they called a “racist mid-decade redistricting scheme.”
Democrats are furious that the new map, backed by President Donald Trump, would reconfigure the state’s 38 congressional districts, turning five current toss-up or Democrat-held seats into solidly Republican districts.
If passed, Texas would shift from 25 Republicans and 12 Democrats to 30 Republicans and 8 Democrats — a transformation that could be pivotal to maintaining GOP control of the U.S. House.
National Democrats Respond With Redistricting Threats
Democratic governors in California and New York are now threatening to redraw their own maps in response:
Meanwhile, Rep. Jeffries warned that “all options should be on the table,” further signaling that Democrats will abandon the census-based redistricting process to counter Texas’s move.
GOP: “There’s Nothing Illegal About It”
Democrats claim that mid-decade redistricting without new census data is unconstitutional. But Gov. Abbott maintains the GOP is on solid legal ground:
“There’s nothing illegal about what Republicans are trying to do in Texas,” Abbott said, dismissing Democrat complaints as political theater.
He also accused Democrats of potential felonies, warning that those soliciting or receiving funds to support their absence could be in violation of Texas bribery statutes.
