Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn asked the FBI to help return state legislators who fled ahead of a special redistricting session.
The special legislative session of the state House was called by Gov. Greg Abbott with the intent of pushing through new congressional maps. These Donald Trump-approved maps would favor Republicans and could potentially grow the state’s GOP delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2026 midterm elections. State-level Democratic Party representatives fled to Illinois and New York earlier this week to deny the Texas House of Representatives a quorum. In a letter sent to FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday, Cornyn asked the federal authorities to step in and aid in the return of the absent lawmakers.
“In a representative democracy, we resolve our differences by debating and voting, not by running away,” he wrote. “Since these state legislators are currently outside of Texas, the Texas Department of Public Safety may need support to arrest the fleeing lawmakers… I request the FBI’s assistance, as federal resources are necessary to locate the out-of-state Texas legislators who are potentially acting in violation of the law.”
Cornyn pointed toward donations the legislators requested to help pay fines related to their absence and alleged that the fleeing Democrats “may be guilty of bribery or other public corruption offenses.”
“These legislators have committed potential criminal acts in their rush to avoid their constitutional responsibilities and must be fully investigated and held accountable,” he wrote.
The Texas House allowed arrest warrants to be issued for the Democrats on Monday. Gov. Abbott followed that motion by ordering the Department of Public Safety to arrest the missing lawmakers. Both moves were largely symbolic as the Democratic Party members had left Texas and the jurisdiction of state officers.
On Tuesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton shared his intention to seek a court order declaring Democratic seats vacant if they do not return to the legislature by Friday.
“Democrats have abandoned their offices by fleeing Texas, and a failure to respond to a call of the House constitutes a dereliction of their duty as elected officials,” Paxton said in a statement. “Starting Friday, any rogue lawmakers refusing to return to the House will be held accountable for vacating their office. The people of Texas elected lawmakers, not jet-setting runaways looking for headlines. If you don’t show up to work, you get fired.”
