得克萨斯州众议院共和党人周一以85比6的投票结果授权众议院军士和相关官员追踪并民事逮捕逃离该州以抗议共和党重划选区努力的民主党人。
得克萨斯州众议院议长、共和党众议员达斯汀·布伦斯(Dustin Burrows)说:“如果有必要，在众议院发出进一步命令之前，武装军士和她任命的任何官员都必须传唤所有缺席的缺席者，以便根据逮捕令确保和维持他们的出席。”
投票结束后不久，得克萨斯州共和党州长格雷格·艾伯特(Greg Abbott)表示，他命令得克萨斯州公共安全部找到并逮捕逃离该州的民主党人，这一命令将一直有效，直到他们“被带回到奥斯汀”。
然而，逮捕令在州界之外没有任何权力，目前还不清楚德克萨斯州执法部门可能会在多大程度上与相关州的同行进行协调。
周一晚些时候，阿博特表示，他已经要求得克萨斯州骑警队调查离开该州的民主党人可能的违法行为，包括为支持他们的努力筹集资金的贿赂。
“报告显示，许多缺席的德克萨斯州众议院民主党人寻求或接受资金，以逃避处理立法事务和投票。根据德克萨斯州刑法，任何征集、接受或同意接受此类资金以帮助违反立法职责或为了逃避投票的民主党人都可能违反了贿赂法。州长在一份声明中说:“此外，任何其他人向逃离的民主党众议员提供、提供或同意提供此类资金，都可能构成贿赂违法行为。”。
此举正值共和党领导的、由唐纳德·特朗普总统支持的努力摊牌之际，该努力旨在创建一个新的国会地图，美国众议院的控制权可能受到威胁。
阿博特给德克萨斯州众议院民主党人的最后期限是当地时间周一下午3点，他们必须返回州议会参加特别会议，否则就有可能失去工作。德克萨斯州司法部长肯·帕克斯顿建议，离开的民主党人应该被逮捕并强行带回，尽管他后来承认这将是一个“挑战”
帕克斯顿在周一下午晚些时候的一份声明中表示，他“准备尽我所能”让民主党人对放弃他们在众议院的职责和“为了宣传噱头而牺牲他们的选民”负责。
这反应从得克萨斯州众议院民主党党团到阿博特的威胁是，“来拿吧。”
离开该州的德克萨斯州众议员将于周一全天在民主党领导的州举行各种活动。
民主党人举行活动纽约马萨诸塞州和伊利诺伊州
周一，德克萨斯州民主党人的第一次新闻发布会是在奥尔巴尼与纽约州州长凯西·霍舒尔举行的。Hochul给德克萨斯州众议院民主党人的信息是，“你站在历史的正确一边。你并不孤单。”
“正如我所说的，历史会评判我们，以及我们如何应对这一时刻。但是，在纽约这里，我们不会与那些不关心这场战斗，也不会全心全意投入这场战斗的胆小怕事的人站在一边。这是一场战争，”Hochul继续说道。“我们正处于战争状态，这就是为什么要脱下手套。我说，放马过来吧。”
Hochul表示，她将寻求通过宪法修正案解散或改变纽约的独立选区划分委员会，以回应德克萨斯州-但承认在2028年大选前不可能这样做。在前州长安德鲁·科莫(Andrew Cuomo)的领导下，纽约人在2014年通过了一项宪法修正案，禁止党派重新划分。
前往马萨诸塞州参加全国州议员峰会的德克萨斯州众议院民主党人将于周一下午在波士顿举行新闻发布会。然后，聚集在伊利诺伊州的德克萨斯州众议院民主党人将于周一晚上在芝加哥与民主党国会议员举行新闻发布会。
在伊利诺伊州沃伦维尔IBEW联合大厅举行的新闻发布会上，得克萨斯州民主党议员表示，他们准备“战斗”，并要求蓝州支持他们的努力。
州众议员杰西卡·拉莫斯说:“我们已经卷起袖子，准备好迎接这场战斗，因为我们的社区、我们的州和我们的国家绝对值得为此而战。”
州众议员约翰·布西三世(John Bucy III)表示，他们离开该州是因为他们不会“配合”共和党的重划选区计划。
“看，我竞选公职不是为了走出国会大厦，但我也不是为了袖手旁观竞选公职，而民主是在光天化日之下被偷走的，”布西说。“德克萨斯州民主党人打破了法定人数，因为有时坚持你的誓言的唯一方式是拒绝玩一场被操纵的游戏。”
议员们坚称他们没有逃跑。
“我们没有逃避任何事情。我们试图确保当民主在德克萨斯州实现时，它将是民有、民治和民享的，”该州众议员哈罗德·v·达顿说。
德克萨斯州民主党众议员詹姆斯·塔拉里科在伊利诺伊州接受美国广播公司新闻采访时证实，他计划在特别会议的剩余两周时间里不在该州。
“离开我的家人，离开我的国家，对我来说不是一件快乐的事情。但我这样做的原因是因为共和党人试图在十年中期改变游戏规则，”塔拉里科告诉美国广播公司新闻记者杰伊·奥布莱恩。
塔拉里科还将共和党的重划选区努力描述为特朗普操纵选举的策略。
“对于格雷格·艾伯特和唐纳德·特朗普这样的人来说，这是最糟糕的。可悲的是，我对他们的期望丝毫没有降低，但这仍然是不道德的、令人厌恶的和令人愤慨的，我们都应该拒绝它，不管我们的政党是什么，”塔拉里科补充说。
艾伯特，帕克斯顿威胁对民主党人采取行动
阿博特在对德克萨斯州众议院民主党人的警告中表示，离开该州以示抗议相当于“放弃或没收当选的州政府职位”。
州长表示，如果他们在当地时间周一下午3点前没有返回，他将援引德克萨斯州司法部长KP-0382号意见，取消失踪的民主党人在德克萨斯州众议院的成员资格。他进一步声称，离开的议员“可能也犯了重罪”，通过筹款来支付他们缺席每一天可能产生的500美元罚款。
阿博特周一在接受福克斯新闻频道采访时表示:“我们的德克萨斯同胞很失望，没有得到他们需要的洪水救济，因为这些民主党人逃避了责任，我相信他们已经放弃了他们在州议会的席位，因为他们没有做好他们当选后要做的工作。”。
帕克斯顿在一篇社交媒体帖子中写道，“德克萨斯州众议院的民主党人试图像懦夫一样逃跑，应该立即被发现、逮捕并带回国会大厦。我们应该利用我们所掌握的一切手段，追捕那些自以为凌驾于法律之上的人。”
有什么利害关系
新的国会地图是由德克萨斯州共和党人提出特朗普推动对共和党更有利的地图，以帮助该党在2026年保持众议院的多数席位。目前，众议院共和党人以微弱多数运行。
特朗普曾表示，他希望共和党人在德克萨斯州和全国其他地方获得五个新席位。民主党人抨击了这一举措，并表示这有伤害少数族裔选民的风险。
当福克斯新闻频道问及他为什么推动新的选区时，阿博特说，这在一定程度上是为了拆除“联盟选区”(少数种族群体共同构成人口的大多数)，并根据政治考虑重新划分选区。
“可以根据政治构成进行不公正的选区划分或划分界限，就像共和党对民主党一样，这没有什么不合法的，”阿博特说。“然后当你看最近一次总统选举的结果时，所有这些被增加的选区都是特朗普赢得的选区。”
正如加利福尼亚州民主党州长加文·纽瑟姆所说，得克萨斯州的重划选区努力促使一些民主党领导的州调查类似的行动，以“以毒攻毒”。纽瑟姆正在考虑在11月召开一次关于选区划分的特别会议，以使该州的国会地图对民主党更加友好。纽瑟姆周一表示，加州民主党人已经或即将完成新地图的草案。
纽瑟姆说:“无论他们在德克萨斯州做什么，在加利福尼亚州都会被阉割，他们将为此付出代价。”。
随着重划选区之战的升温，一名众议院共和党人将提出立法，禁止十年中期在全国范围内重划国会地图。
加州共和党众议员凯文·凯利将于周二正式提出该法案，该法案将“取消各州在2030年人口普查前采用的新地图，包括今年采用的任何地图。”然而，该法案的未来仍不确定，因为它不太可能得到众议院共和党领导层的支持。
Texas governor orders police to find and arrest Democrats who fled over redistricting
Texas House Republicans on Monday voted 85-6 to authorize the House sergeant-at-arms and related officers to track down and civilly arrest Democrats who fled the state in protest of GOP redistricting efforts.
"The sergeant-at-arms and any officers appointed by her are directed to send for all absentees whose attendance is not excused for the purposes of securing and maintaining their attendance under warrant of arrest, if necessary, until further order of the House," said Republican Rep. Dustin Burrows, the speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.
Shortly after the vote, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said he ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to find and arrest the Democrats who fled the state, an order which will remain in effect until they are "accounted for and brought back" to Austin.
The warrants, however, have no power outside state lines and it's unclear to what extent, if at all, Texas law enforcement may and could coordinate with their counterparts in the relevant states.
Later Monday, Abbott said he had asked the Texas Rangers to investigate the Democrats who left the state for potential law violations — including bribery for soliciting funds to support their effort.
"Reports indicate that many absentee Texas House Democrats have solicited or received funds to evade conducting legislative business and casting votes. Under the Texas Penal Code, any of those Democrats who solicit, accept, or agree to accept such funds to assist in the violation of legislative duties or for purposes of skipping a vote may have violated bribery laws. Also, it could be a bribery violation for any other person who offers, provides, or agrees to provide such funds to fleeing Democrat House members," the governor said in a statement.
The move comes amid a showdown over a Republican-led effort, backed by President Donald Trump, to create a new congressional map with control of the U.S. House potentially at stake.
Abbott had given Texas House Democrats a deadline of 3 p.m. local time on Monday to return to the statehouse for the special session or risk losing their jobs. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton suggested Democrats who left should be arrested and forcibly brought back, though helater admittedthat would be a "challenge."
Paxton said in a statement late Monday afternoon that he is "prepared to do everything in my power" to hold the Democrats accountable for abdicating their duties in the House and for having "sacrificed their constituents for a publicity stunt."
Theresponsefrom the Texas House Democratic Caucus to Abbott's threat was, "Come and take it."
Texas House members who left the state were slated to hold various events throughout the day Monday in Democrat-led states.
The proposed congressional map could create up to five new Republican seats and help the party keep control of the House in the 2026 midterm elections. Consideration of the bill had been set for Monday, but couldn't proceed as the missing Democrats denied a quorum.
Democrats hold events inNew York, Massachusetts and Illinois
The first news conference with Texas Democrats on Monday was with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in Albany. Hochul's message for Texas House Democrats was, "You are on the right side of history. And you're not alone."
"As I said, history will judge us and how we respond to this moment. But here in New York, we will not stand on the sidelines with the timid souls on the sidelines who don't care and will not invest their heart and soul into this battle. This is a war," Hochul continued. "We are at war and that's why the gloves are off. And I say, bring it on."
Hochul said that she would seek to disband or change New York's independent redistricting commission through a constitutional amendment in response to Texas -- but admitted that doing so would not be possible before the 2028 election. Under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New Yorkers passed a constitutional amendment in 2014 prohibiting partisan redistricting.
Texas House Democrats who have gone to Massachusetts for the National Conference of State Legislators summit will hold a press conference in Boston on Monday afternoon. Then, Texas House Democrats who have gathered in Illinois will hold a press conference with Democratic members of Congress in Chicago on Monday night.
During a press conference at the IBEW union hall in Warrenville, Illinois, Texas Democratic lawmakers said they're prepared to "fight," and asked blue states to back their effort.
"We've got our sleeves rolled up, and we're ready to take this fight wherever it's going to take us, because our communities, our state and our nation -- is definitely worth fighting for it," state Rep. Jessica Ramos said.
State Rep. John Bucy III said they left the state because they would not "play along" with Republicans' redistricting plans.
"Look, I didn't run for office to walk out of the Capitol, but I also didn't run for office to stand by while democracy is stolen in broad daylight," Bucy said. "Texas Democrats broke quorum because sometimes the only way to uphold your oath is to refuse to play along with a rigged game."
And the lawmakers were adamant they weren't running away.
"We're not running from anything. We're trying to make sure that when democracy is in Texas, it is going to be of the people, by the people and for the people," state Rep. Harold V. Dutton, Jr. said.
Texas State Rep. James Talarico, a Democrat, spoke with ABC News from Illinois and confirmed he plans to stay out of the state for the remaining two weeks of the special session.
"To be gone from my family, from my state, is not a happy thing for me. But why I am doing this is because the Republicans are trying to change the rules of the game midway through the decade," Talarico told ABC News Correspondent Jay O'Brien.
Talarico also characterized the Republican redistricting effort as a ploy by Trump to rig the election.
"It is rock bottom for people like Greg Abbott and Donald Trump. Sadly, I've come to expect nothing less from them, but it is still immoral and disgusting and outrageous, and we should all reject it regardless of our political party," Talarico added.
Abbott, Paxton threaten action against Democrats
Abbott, in his warning to Texas House Democrats, said leaving the state in protest amounted to "abandonment or forfeiture of an elected state office."
The governor said if they didn't return by 3 p.m. local time on Monday, he would invoke Texas Attorney General Opinion No. KP-0382 to remove the missing Democrats from membership in the Texas House. He further went on to claim the lawmakers who left "may also have committed felonies" by fundraising in order to pay the $500 fine they risk accruing each day they are absent.
"Our fellow Texans are being let down and not getting the flood relief they need, because these Democrats have absconded from the responsibility, and I believe they have forfeited their seats in the state legislature because they're not doing the job they were elected to do," Abbott said during an interview with Fox News on Monday.
Paxton, in a social media post, wrote that "Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately. We should use every tool at our disposal to hunt down those who think they are above the law."
What's at stake
The new congressional map wasproposed by Texas Republicansfollowing a push by Trump for maps more favorable to Republicans to help the party keep the majority in the House in 2026. Currently, House Republicans are operating with a narrow majority.
Trump has said he wants Republicans to pick up five new seats in Texas and others around the country. Democrats have slammed the move and said it risks hurting minority voters.
Asked by Fox News why he is pushing for new districts, Abbott said it is partly to dismantle "coalition districts" (where racial minority groups together make up most of the population) and to redraw districts based on political considerations.
"Gerrymandering can be done or drawing lines can be done on the basis of political makeup, as in Republican versus Democrat, and there's nothing illegal about that," Abbott said. "And then when you look at the outcome of the most recent presidential election, all these districts that are being added are districts that were won by Trump."
Texas' redistricting effort has prompted some Democrat-led states to investigate similar moves to "fight fire with fire," as California's Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has said. Newsom is considering calling a special session on redistricting in November to make the state's congressional map more Democrat-friendly. Newsom said Monday that California Democrats have or are nearly done with a draft of a new map.
"Whatever they are doing [in Texas] will be neutered here in the state of California, and they will pay that price," Newsom said.
As the redistricting battle heats up, a House Republican will introduce legislation to ban mid-decade redrawing of congressional maps nationwide.
California GOP Rep. Kevin Kiley will formally introduce the bill on Tuesday which will "nullify new maps adopted by states before the 2030 census, including any that are adopted this year." The bill's future remains uncertain, however, as it's unlikely to be backed by House Republican leadership.
