The governor of Texas has ordered Texas law enforcement to arrest more than 50 Democratic lawmakers who have traveled to Illinois and elsewhere to block a vote on redistricting that could give Republicans more congressional seats.
So, are law enforcement from Texas coming to arrest them?
Here's what we know.
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What are authorities in Texas saying?
Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered the arrest of "delinquent" Texas House Democrats, according to an Aug. 4 news release.
The democrats "abandoned their duty to Texans," he wrote. “By fleeing the state, Texas House Democrats are holding hostage critical legislation to aid flood victims and advance property tax relief."
Arrest warrants
The news release read that Dustin Burrows, who is Speaker of the House of Representatives, issued a call of the Texas House "and issued warrants to compel members to return to the chamber."
Abbott added that "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."
The order will remain in effect until all "missing Democrat House members are accounted for and brought back to the Texas Capitol," he wrote.
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What are Illinois authorities saying?
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued a statement in which he said there is no legal basis for the arrest of Texas lawmakers in Illinois.
“In Illinois, the rule of law matters, and law enforcement must have a legitimate legal basis to arrest someone. Texas law enforcement officers have no authority to hunt down and make arrests of Texas legislators in Illinois based on a civil arrest warrant issued by the Texas House. The Texas House may have managed to issue civil arrest warrants without having a quorum, but those civil warrants carry no weight in Illinois," Raoul wrote on Aug. 5.
Background
Several Texas Democrat lawmakers arrived in Illinois over the weekend have and since held multiple news conferences since then, usually with support of Illinois lawmakers.
Lawmakers were joined by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin on Tuesday.
Martin said the following regarding Texas' redistricting efforts: "(Republicans) have decided to cheat, and we're going to respond in kind."
Gov. Pritzker also spoke during the news conference, calling President Donald Trump a "cheater."
"Donald Trump is a cheater... and if they're going to cheat, then all of us have to take a hard look at what the effect of that cheating is on democracy, and that means we've all got to stand up and do the right thing," Pritzker said.
Tom Ackerman covers breaking news and trending news along with general news for the Springfield State Journal-Register. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Can the Texas lawmakers be arrested in Illinois?
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