AUSTIN, Texas — Tensions are escalating in Texas as Governor Greg Abbott threatens to take action against House Democrats who have left the state in protest of a Republican-led redistricting effort. Abbott has given these lawmakers until 3 p.m. local time on Monday to return to the state capitol for a special session or face potential job loss.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has suggested that the absent Democrats should be arrested and forcibly returned to Texas. In response, the Texas House Democratic Caucus issued a defiant statement: "Come and take it."

The Democrats who left Texas are participating in various events on Monday in New York, Massachusetts, and Illinois. They are opposing a proposed congressional map that could add up to five new Republican seats, a move that could help the GOP maintain control of the House in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections. The consideration of this bill was scheduled for Monday, but it cannot proceed without a quorum, which the Democrats' absence has jeopardized.

The first press conference featuring Texas Democrats took place with New York Governor Kathy Hochul in Albany. "We won’t sit on the sidelines while Republicans try to rig the system to give Donald Trump more unchecked power," Hochul stated. "Texas Democrats are standing up for the future of our democracy, and I’m proud to stand with them in the fight against disenfranchisement."

Later on Monday, Texas House Democrats attending the National Conference of State Legislators summit in Massachusetts will hold a press conference with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker in Boston at 1 p.m. ET. Additionally, Texas Democrats in Illinois are set to meet with Democratic members of Congress for another press conference in Chicago.

Pritzker criticized Trump on Sunday, accusing him of "rigging" the new Texas maps out of desperation, fearing that his policies could lead to a loss of House Republican majorities in Washington. He warned that the proposed maps could set a troubling precedent nationwide. "This is not just rigging the system in Texas," Pritzker said. "It’s about rigging the system against the rights of all Americans for years to come."

In his warning to the Texas House Democrats, Abbott characterized their departure as "abandonment or forfeiture of an elected state office." He added, "Real Texans do not run from a fight. But that’s exactly what most of the Texas House Democrats just did. Rather than doing their job and voting on urgent legislation affecting the lives of all Texans, they have fled Texas to deprive the House of the quorum necessary to meet and conduct business."