Cornyn Says FBI Will Help Arrest AWOL Texas Democrats Who Fled State Over Redistricting Fight
In an extraordinary escalation of a long-running partisan showdown in Texas, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) announced Thursday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has agreed to assist in locating and detaining more than 40 Democratic state lawmakers who fled Texas earlier this week to block legislative action on redistricting.
The Democrats’ departure, which began on Sunday, was a coordinated move to deny the Texas House a quorum during a special session called by Governor Greg Abbott. Without enough members present to conduct business, Republicans were unable to advance their proposed redistricting plan or pass other items on Abbott’s legislative agenda.
Many of the lawmakers decamped to Chicago, Illinois, both to avoid returning under political pressure and to place themselves outside the immediate jurisdiction of Texas law enforcement. Their absence has paralyzed the session and, in the eyes of their Republican colleagues, represents a deliberate dereliction of constitutional duty.
Cornyn’s Request to the FBI
Sen. Cornyn said that earlier this week he formally asked FBI Director Kash Patel to intervene, citing the lawmakers’ out-of-state status and their alleged use of funds to facilitate their absence.
“I am proud to announce that Director Kash Patel has approved my request for the FBI to assist state and local law enforcement in locating runaway Texas House Democrats,” Cornyn declared in a statement. “I thank President Trump and Director Patel for supporting and swiftly acting on my call for the federal government to hold these supposed lawmakers accountable for fleeing Texas. We cannot allow these rogue legislators to avoid their constitutional responsibilities.”
Cornyn argued that when lawmakers cross state lines to evade legal obligations—or when their conduct potentially intersects with federal corruption statutes—federal authorities can and should assist.
“Specifically, I am concerned that legislators who solicited or accepted funds to aid in their efforts to avoid their legislative duties may be guilty of bribery or other public corruption offenses,” Cornyn said.
Trump Weighs In
The White House quickly signaled its support. Speaking to reporters Wednesday, President Trump suggested that FBI involvement might be necessary.
“Well, they may have to,” Trump said when asked whether federal agents should help track down the missing Democrats. “I know they want them back. The Governor of Texas is demanding they come back. So, a lot of people are demanding they come back. You can’t just sit it out. You have to go back. You have to fight it. That’s what elections are about.”
A Split Among Texas Republicans
While Cornyn and Abbott have welcomed the FBI’s potential role, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton—currently challenging Cornyn in next year’s Republican primary—dismissed the idea outright.
“This is a state issue,” Paxton said during a podcast interview. “I don’t know what the FBI would have to do with this—nothing. This is a purely state issue.”
Paxton’s comments underscore a broader split within the Texas GOP over whether the pursuit of absent lawmakers should remain within the state’s own legal and law enforcement framework or whether federal agencies should be brought in.
State-Level Escalation
Meanwhile, state authorities have already moved to force the Democrats’ return. On Monday, Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) signed civil arrest warrants for the absent members. By Tuesday, only eight Democrats had returned to the state Capitol.
Governor Abbott has ordered the remaining lawmakers to come back to Austin by Monday or face arrest and possible removal from office. He has instructed the Texas Department of Public Safety to detain them upon reentering Texas and directed the Texas Rangers to investigate potential bribery charges related to the funding of their trip. Abbott also filed an emergency petition with the Texas Supreme Court seeking to remove House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Gene Wu (D-Houston) from his position.
Illinois Pushes Back
The standoff has also sparked tensions between states. Many of the Texas Democrats have taken refuge in Illinois, where Democratic Governor JB Pritzker has made it clear they will not be handed over without a fight.
Speaking to Fox News on Wednesday, Pritzker said the FBI would be “unwelcome” if it attempted to pursue Texas lawmakers within Illinois borders.
In a separate interview with Jessica Yellin on News Not Noise, Pritzker insisted there was no legal basis for federal action.
“They’re grandstanding. There’s literally no federal law applicable to this situation. None,” Pritzker said. “They can say that they’re sending FBI. FBI agents might show up to, I don’t know, put a show on. But the fact is, our local law enforcement protects everybody in the state of Illinois… whether it’s federal agents coming to Illinois or state rangers from Texas, if you haven’t broken federal law, you’re basically unwelcome. There’s no way that Texas state legislators can be arrested here for this.”
A Constitutional and Political Flashpoint
The fight over the missing Texas Democrats touches on multiple layers of legal and constitutional debate:
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Whether state legislators can be compelled across state lines to perform their duties
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The extent of the FBI’s authority when state officials leave their jurisdiction
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The political optics of using federal law enforcement against elected state officials in a partisan dispute
For Republicans, the flight is a blatant obstruction of the legislative process. For Democrats, it’s a last-ditch act of resistance to what they view as gerrymandering and political overreach.
With the special legislative session now effectively frozen, the question is no longer whether the absent lawmakers will be returned—it’s whether this clash will further entrench the bitter partisan and jurisdictional divides shaping politics in Texas and beyond.