The FBI has agreed to aid Texas Republicans in bringing back Democrats who fled the state to block a redistricting plan.
Texas Republicans, backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, had introduced a plan that would create five new Republican‑leaning congressional districts.
Those extra seats would expand their majority in the House and help secure their narrow control just in time for the 2026 midterm elections.
Highlights
- Texas Republicans drafted a plan to add five Republican-leaning districts, aiming to secure a majority by 2026 midterm elections.
- 51 Texas Democrats fled the state to block redistricting, preventing the legislature from reaching a quorum for the vote.
- Senator John Cornyn requested the FBI help locate fleeing Democrats, but FBI involvement raises questions about its legal authority.
- Experts argue the FBI has no jurisdiction, as this is a state political issue, with no federal crimes evident.
- Critics warn FBI involvement politicizes the agency, calling it an authoritarian overreach threatening American democratic norms.
The FBI is now involved after Texas Democrats fled the state to block a redistricting vote
Two-thirds of the 150-member state legislature needed to be present for a vote to be held on the proposed redistricting.
To prevent the legislature from reaching the quorum required, 51 Democratic lawmakers left the state.
Senator John Cornyn requested the FBI’s help. Image credits: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
Governor Greg Abbott called for their arrest and urged state troopers to return them to Texas, but those arrest warrants were not enforceable across state lines.
With the Representatives leaving for Democratic cities, Texas is unable to secure help from local law enforcement.
GOP Senator John Cornyn on Thursday announced that the FBI granted his request to help bring the fleeing lawmakers back home.
“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 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.”
Abbott also released a statement confirming FBI involvement.
“Texas DPS and the FBI are tracking down the derelict Democrats,” he wrote on social media. “They will be taken directly to the Texas Capitol.
“Those who received benefits for skipping a vote face removal from office and potential bribery charges. In Texas, there are consequences for your actions.”
Governor Greg Abbott had called for the arrest of the fleeing Democrats. Image credits: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Concerns have now been raised not only about the politicization of the FBI but also about the legal basis for its involvement.
The FBI has not issued a statement regarding the announcement, and it remains unclear what legal authority it would have to carry out arrests of the Democrats involved.
Experts say there is no legal authority for the FBI's action
Legal experts have expressed skepticism about the legitimacy of such actions.
Richard Painter, former associate counsel to President George W. Bush, described the issue as state politics, not federal law.
“I don’t see why the FBI would be involved in this at all. I mean, this is Texas politics and the FBI has no business trying to enforce Texas state law,” he told The Hill.
“The only federal law that I think is being violated in Texas and in Illinois and several other states is voting rights,” he added.
Texas lawmakers introduced a plan to create five new Republican-leaning congressional districts.
“I think gerrymandering violates voting rights, but the U.S. Supreme Court’s not willing to do anything about it.”
Constitutional law professor Anthony Michael Kreis also questioned the use of federal power.
“There’s no offense against the United States. There is no reasonable basis that arresting Texas legislators will prevent the commission of a federal crime,” he wrote on X.
“This is simply @JohnCornyn asking for the unconstitutional, lawless, and arbitrary federal power.”
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries echoed those comments and told ABC News Live there is no legal authority for the FBI's action.
“There would be no authority for the FBI to target Democrats from the Texas legislature in connection with an act that Democrats have taken that is authorized by the Texas Constitution,” he said.
When Cornyn initially requested the FBI’s help, he suggested that the fleeing Democrats could be guilty of bribery or another public corruption offense if they had accepted funds “to aid in their efforts to avoid their legislative duties.”
If there were evidence of bribery or federal corruption, the FBI could have jurisdiction to carry out arrests.
However, no such evidence has been presented, and no charges have been filed, and in the U.S., accepting donations or financial support is not inherently a crime.
Democrats have also warned that if FBI Director Kash Patel appears to be taking political sides in the redistricting fight, it could be seen as the politicization of the agency.
Senator Chris Van Hollen said FBI involvement could set a dangerous precedent. Image credits: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
“The FBI should be working to keep our communities safe, not getting involved in the political thuggery of Texas Republicans,” Senator Chris Van Hollen told The Hill.
“What legal grounds they could possibly have to play a role in this escapes me – but if they were to get involved, it would certainly set a dangerous precedent for the politicization of the Bureau.”
Non-profit advocacy organization Public Citizen described the FBI's development as an “authoritarian overreach.”
“When politicians deploy federal law enforcement against state elected officials simply for opposing their agenda, they attack our system and put our American freedoms at risk,” co-president Lisa Gilbert said.
“We stand with the patriotic legislators who are resisting this authoritarian overreach. This moment represents a deep-seated threat to our democracy as we know it.”
Federal agencies have historically refused to get involved in similar situations
The ongoing situation is similar to an instance in 2003 when Texas Democrats also fled the state to block a vote on redistricting.
Republicans had called on federal law enforcement to intervene and return the Democrats to Texas, but their pleas were denied.
The Justice Department, then under President George W. Bush, reportedly told one Congressman that there was no legal basis for the FBI to step in, CNN reported.
The extent of the FBI’s involvement is unclear. Image credits: STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Then-Assistant Attorney General William Moschella said in a letter that they were “not aware of any information pertinent to the Texas State legislators that would warrant action by federal law enforcement authorities, including those of the FBI.”
“Accordingly, we have not deployed and have no plans to deploy our law enforcement resources in connection with this matter,” the letter added.
In July 2021, Democrats again fled to Washington in an attempt to block plans for new voting restrictions after Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election.
The new measures focused on ID restrictions for people submitting mail ballots and banned curbside voting, where a person could vote in person outside a ballot center.
That law was ultimately passed one month later in August, and it also extended voting hours and limited who could work at the polls.
Rep. Harold V. Dutton Jr. spoke alongside other Texas Democrats during a press conference on August 4. Image credits: Scott Olson/Getty Images
The current Texas redistricting plan has not only sparked uproar, but it has also led to retaliatory action from Democrats.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared “war” last week and said she intended to push for new congressional maps in her state to counter the effect of Texas Republicans.
Several of the Texas Democrats who had fled joined her at a press conference at the state Capitol in Albany.
“This is a war. We are at war. And that’s why the gloves are off and I say, ‘Bring it on,’” she said.
“If Republicans are willing to rewrite these rules to give themselves an advantage, then they’re leaving us no choice: We must do the same,” Hochul added.