Washington (USA), August 5 (LaPresse) – Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered the state’s Department of Public Safety to arrest Democratic members of the State House who failed to attend this afternoon's special legislative session. “To ensure compliance” with a motion approved by the current House members—which allows for civil arrest warrants for the absent Democrats—the Republican governor said in a statement that the Texas Department of Public Safety “will locate, arrest, and bring back to the Capitol any member who has abandoned their duty to the Texans.” The order, the statement reads, “will remain in effect until all absent Democratic House members are located and brought back to the Texas Capitol.” Dozens of Texas House Democrats left the state, heading to cities like Chicago, Albany, New York, and Boston to break the quorum and block an upcoming vote on the GOP-redrawn congressional map aimed at securing more seats in the next election. It remains unclear how Abbott’s order will be enforced, given that the absent Democrats are outside Texas state jurisdiction.
© Copyright LaPresse
