JUST IN: FBI Joins Manhunt For Derelict Texas Democrats

Members of the FBI will soon join in a national manhunt for missing Democratic lawmakers who fled their home state of Texas to avoid passage of a bill that would overhaul congressional districts, most likely handing Republicans a handful of new U.S. House seats.

The news, broken by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), comes two days after Texas Republicans authorized state authorities to travel to blue cities like Chicago and Boston to arrest Texas lawmakers who have hunkered down with the help of Democratic governors and mayors.

It’s unclear if the FBI agents have deployed to Chicago, where a majority of the missing lawmakers are staying. Many of the Democrats have given interviews or held press conferences in recent days expressing confidence that they couldn’t be arrested because they were beyond the authority of traditional Texas law enforcement officers.

“I am proud to announce that Director Kash Patel has approved my request for the F.B.I. to assist state and local law enforcement in locating runaway Texas House Democrats,” Cornyn said in a statement to the NYT. “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.”

“We cannot allow these rogue legislators to avoid their constitutional responsibilities, ” Cornyn added.

Texas issued civil arrest warrants against Democrats, but it appeared unlikely that authorities would engage with Democrats outside of their state, a situation that could have quickly escalated into an interstate power struggle between local law enforcement agencies.

President Donald Trump has asked Texas lawmakers to redistrict the state, a move that may add anywhere from five to 10 Republican-leaning seats in Congress. Democrats fled when it appeared the measure had support to pass, denying Republicans a necessary quorum.

At a press conference in Boston, Mass., several Texas Democrats warned their colleagues in surrounding states that they will be next if Texas succeeds.

“We came to Boston to remind America; we don’t have a king here. We have a Constitution,” Texas State Senator Carol Alvarado told the crowd. “We’re here to say Texas will not go quietly into the night and neither should you.”

“If it can happen in Texas, the second largest state in the country, it will happen elsewhere. This is not a one-off. This is a blueprint. If we do not stop it now, they’ll copy and paste it across the country,” she added, CBS reported.

State House Democratic leader Gene Wu urged Americans to donate to his delegation, allowing them to afford rent and food while facing fines of up to $500 per day for their absence.

“We’re getting a lot of small-dollar donations,” Wu told The Associated Press, “and that’s going to be used to help keep this thing going.”