As the Texas redistricting standoff escalates, many Democratic lawmakers have left the state over the weekend. Now, Greg Abbott, the Governor of Texas, has declared that the FBI is “tracking them down.” If the GOP becomes successful with their dubious Congressional map, they would potentially earn five additional seats in the upcoming 2026 midterms.
According to reports, many Republicans now want the FBI to get involved in coercing the Democrats into returning to Texas amid protests over the redistricting battle.
So far, none of the Democratic lawmakers has been charged with a crime. The new GOP gerrymandering effort has been described as a “threat to the rule of law and our democracy” by some on Capitol Hill. According to AOL, Texas Governor Abbott has already begun the process of removing at least one Democrat from his office. Apart from him, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) has also called for the lawmakers who left the state to be arrested by the FBI.
Rep. John Bucy, a lawmaker from the state who has fled to Illinois, criticized the FBI involvement. In his statement released on Thursday, Bucy said, “Using federal law enforcement to track down political opposition is the tactic of a collapsing regime. It’s the kind of authoritarian overreach we condemn in other countries. Now, it’s happening here.”
Donald Trump just said he would use the FBI to force Texas Democrats to come back to Texas.
We’re breaking quorum to ensure that Texans and Americans have the representation they deserve.
Come and take it. pic.twitter.com/0iFXpSzW9k
— Rep. John Bucy III (@BucyForTexas) August 6, 2025
According to NBC News, on Thursday, Sen. John Cornyn stated that the FBI has granted his request to help locate the Texas lawmakers who fled the state. “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,” he said. Prior to this, on Monday, an official from the White House said that the Trump administration did not intend to use federal agents to arrest the Democratic lawmakers, as Abbott “can handle his own state,” reports NBC News.
On Thursday, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker welcomed some potential federal agents in his state. As reported by The Guardian, he said, “I hope they take in the state fair, I hope they go see the beauty of Lake Michigan. But they won’t be arresting anyone because there is no US federal law that prohibits those Texas house Democrats from being here in the state.”
Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries took a dig at the current administration after Abbott’s statement. “Shouldn’t the FBI be tracking down terrorists, drug traffickers and child predators? The Trump administration continues to weaponize law enforcement to target political adversaries. These extremists don’t give a damn about public safety. We will not be intimidated,” he wrote on X.
Meanwhile, as the battle intensifies, more states are expected to join the gerrymandering. President Donald Trump has already encouraged Missouri lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional map. Vice President JD Vance furthered the efforts by doing the same for Indiana’s leadership, while the Ohio GOP could also potentially attempt to join the redistricting.
