Texas Democrats did not attend the special session, so Abbott ordered their arrest.

Greg Abbott warned that Democrats would be arrested if they did not attend the special legislative session Monday afternoon, and he delivered. In the late hours of Monday, the governor issued an arrest warrant for the legislators who fled Texas with the intention of denying a quorum for the debate on critical state laws.

Abbott described the action as an "abdication of duty" and stated that these legislators are "holding critical legislation hostage" that includes aid for flood victims and tax relief for citizens.

"Texas House Democrats abandoned their duty to Texans," the current governor declared in a statement. "By fleeing the state, they're obstructing essential measures. There are consequences for this deliberate negligence," he added.

Locate, arrest, and return to Texas the Democrats who fled.

The order was issued shortly after the legislature voted 85-6 in favor of a motion to demand the return of the absent legislators. The Speaker of the House, Dustin Burrows, instructed the chamber's sergeant-at-arms to "search for all absentees with an arrest warrant, if necessary."

The current governor reinforced the directive with an order sent to the Texas Department of Public Safety to locate, arrest, and return the representatives who escaped. "This order will remain in effect until all absent Democratic members are located and brought to the Texas Capitol," the governor said.

The central reason for the dispute is the Republican Party's attempt, with President Trump's blessing, to redraw the electoral district map in Texas, which could grant them up to five additional seats in the United States House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections.

The rebellious legislators are traveling across the country.

To block the vote, at least 51 of the 62 Democratic legislators in the House (out of 150 members) left Texas, heading mainly to Democratic states such as Illinois and New York.

In Illinois, several of these rebellious legislators met with Governor JB Pritzker at the state Democratic Party headquarters, where, in a pathetic display, they jointly denounced the Republican plan.

Meanwhile, in New York, another Democratic delegation was received by Governor Kathy Hochul, who described Abbott's action as "anti-American" and accused him of wanting to "manipulate" the electoral system.