ST. CHARLES, Ill. (WGN) — House Democrats from Texas woke up to an early morning bomb threat in west suburban St. Charles.
While police say there were no reports of any injuries or discovery of any explosive devices, the temporary evacuation is the latest twist in the political battle over redistricting.
St. Charles police and the Kane County Sheriff’s Bomb squad converged on the Q Center Resort around 7:15 Wednesday morning, as close to 400 people, including a group of Democratic Texas House lawmakers, evacuated the complex until authorities issued an all-clear for them to return.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker told reporters Wednesday that he’s mobilized law enforcement and State Police troopers to ensure Texas Democratic lawmakers are safe as they take political refuge in the state.
“They’re doing an investigation. They’re going to seek out, hunt down, and find the perpetrator(s),” Pritzker said.
The escalating battle is over Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s bid to add Republican House Seats in the Lone Star State, extending to Blue State Illinois. Texas Republicans and Abbott have called for the arrest of Democratic lawmakers who have fled the state.
“There’s been civil warrants issued by none other than the Republican Speaker of the House (Congressman Mike Johnson),” Pritzker said. “A civil warrant does not allow the Texas Rangers, or anybody in Texas, to grab anybody outside the state of Texas.”
“We will not be silenced”
Democrats are working to scuttle plans to vote on a new congressional map, with the potential to flip five Texas districts to the GOP.
“We will not be silenced. You will never stop us from defending our people, from defending our communities, and from defending the state of Texas community from your corruption and failure,” said Texas State Rep. Gene Wu, chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus.
President Donald Trump fired back.
“The Democrats have done it long before we started,” Trump said. “They’ve done it all over the place. They did it in New York. They did it in a lot of different states.”
Calling the maneuver unconstitutional, Texas House Democrats walked out on Monday’s vote in Austin, denying the Republicans the quorum needed to pass the controversial measure.
Texas Democrats arrive in Illinois to block vote back home on redrawn House maps sought by Trump
The group of Texas representatives then sought shelter in Illinois. But following Wednesday’s bomb threat scares, the out-of-state Democrats opted not to hold any press conferences at the Q Convention Center in St. Charles. Texas Democrats said they are determined to hold out as long as necessary, however.
The news comes as Vice President JD Vance is headed to the Hoosier State to press Republicans’ case, according to reports out of Northwest Indiana.
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