(Associated Press) Texas Republicans enlisted the help of law enforcement for the first time Thursday to force the return of Democratic legislators who fled the state a month ago to block new voting restrictions.
The move, a significant escalation in the holdout, came a day after officers of the Texas House of Representatives served civil arrests warrants to the offices of more than 50 Democrats who have not retuned to the Capitol since fleeing for Washington, D.C., on July 12.
Some have returned to Texas but remain absent from the state House of Representatives.
“Earlier today the House Sergeant-at-Arms deputized members of Texas law enforcement to assist in the House’s efforts to compel a quorum. That process will begin in earnest immediately,” said Enrique Marquez, a spokesman for Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan.
He did not say which law enforcement agencies were involved or what measures they would take, but Democrats have acknowledged the possibility of facing arrest and have spent days petitioning courts in Texas for orders that would prevent them from being forced to return to the Capitol.
But in another setback, the Texas Supreme Court halted those orders Thursday.
Some Democrats have previously said they would not rule out again leaving Texas — and outside the jurisdiction of state troopers — if there were no court protections in place.
“The Dems have filed some of the most embarrassing lawsuits ever seen. Time for them to get to the Capitol and do the job they were elected to do,” Republican Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted.
The Texas Department of Public Safety, the state’s law enforcement division, said in a statement that it did not “discuss operational specifics” and referred further questions to Phelan’s office.
The NAACP had stepped in on behalf of the Texas Democrats, urging the Justice Department to investigate whether a federal crime was being committed when Republicans threatened to have them arrested.
The heightened potential of law enforcement seeking out missing lawmakers came hours after the latest high-profile act of protest by Democrats over changes to Texas’ elections — a 15-hour filibuster by a state senator who was not allowed to sit or take bathroom breaks.
Democrat Carol Alvarado’s filibuster only delayed Senate Republicans, who went on to approve a version of the sweeping elections bill just minutes after she ended.
But because Democrats in the House are still not showing up, the bill cannot go further.
