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(NewsNation) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened Democrats who fled the state to prevent a redistricting effort by Republicans with removal from the state House.
Abbott said the lawmakers could be extradited and suggested they could become felons.
Some Texas lawmakers took refuge roughly 1,000 miles away in Illinois to prevent a quorum that would allow the state to redraw its voting map.
"I and my colleagues are determined to not let Trump order Gov. Abbott to rig our congressional districts," said state Rep. Vikki Goodwin. "We believe Democracy is on the line."
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has voiced his support as lawmakers object to what they say is an undemocratic and racist attempt to redraw the Texas map in order to give Republicans more districts.
"He's been supportive, he's told us that all options are on the table if Gov. Abbott doesn't back down," said Texas state Rep. John Bucy.
While about 57 lawmakers headed to Illinois, others fled to Boston and New York.
Lawmakers who walked out could face a fine of $500 per day for each day of the special session they miss, and party leaders reportedly said they fear the possibility of arrest, which Abbott has threatened.
Abbott gave lawmakers until 3 p.m. CDT on Monday to return or risk being removed from the House.
The map at the center of the controversy was proposed last week and would give Republicans a larger majority, going from a 25-13 advantage to a 30-8 split.
The map would also split districts to make it difficult for current Democrats to win in areas around Austin, Dallas and Houston, as well as south Texas.
Democrats argue the map is racially biased and targets Hispanic and Black incumbents, which Republicans have denied.
"What they're really trying to do is drive a spear through the heart of minority representation in this country," said Texas Democratic chair Kendall Scudder. "If they're successful in Texas, they're going to try to do it all across the country. They won't stop until the U.S. Congress is whiter than it was before Reconstruction."
Texas was once required by the 1965 Voting Rights Act to submit its redistricting plans to the federal government for review because of its history of discrimination, but the U.S. Supreme Court declared in 2013 the requirement was outdated and unconstitutional. The act requires states to have the number of districts in which minority voters can elect a candidate reflect their percentage of the population.
The plan creates five new districts without any incumbents, and sponsoring Republican state Rep. Todd Hunter noted that in four of them, at least half of the voting-age U.S. citizens are minorities, and there would be 10 Hispanic-majority districts, rather than the current nine.
Hunter acknowledged the lines were being redrawn “for partisan purposes,” which he said is allowed by the U.S. Supreme Court. He said a law firm was consulted as the map was being drawn.
Democrats fear the push for redistricting could expand to other states, with the GOP working to redraw district maps to retain power by splitting up districts where Democratic voters are concentrated.
Some Democrats have urged blue states to fight back by doing the same, including Illinois, where the state's congressional map has already faced accusations of partisan gerrymandering.
In addition to the new map, the current special session is also set to vote on flood relief following catastrophic flooding in Texas' Hill Country region in July. Without a quorum, the Texas House will be unable to pass relief for those affected, something that could come back to bite absent Democrats when it is time for elections.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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