Texas's Republican governor has threatened to send troops to arrest Democrats who fled the state in a bid to block efforts to redraw its political map.

Greg Abbott also said he will start trying to remove the absent Democrats from office, and that the Texas Rangers have been directed to investigate them for possible breaches of bribery laws.

The governor added in a statement that the Democrats "abandoned their duty to Texans" and that "there are consequences for dereliction of duty".

However, state troopers have no jurisdiction outside of Texas , and the state's Democratic Party chair, Gene Wu, estimated on Sunday that about 57 Democrats had already left.

Image: People protest the Republican plan for Congressional redistricting at the Governor's Mansion, Austin, Texas. Pic: A

See Full Page