Illinois AG Rules Out Arrest of Texas Lawmakers in Illinois
CHICAGO — Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul on Monday issued a statement asserting there is no legal basis for the arrest of Texas lawmakers who have fled to Illinois.
Raoul said Texas law enforcement officers lack authority to detain Texas legislators in Illinois based on civil arrest warrants issued by the Texas House. “In Illinois, the rule of law matters, and law enforcement must have a legitimate legal basis to arrest someone,” Raoul said. “Texas law enforcement officers have no authority to hunt down and make arrests of Texas legislators in Illinois based on a civil arrest warrant issued by the Texas House. The Texas House may have managed to issue civil arrest warrants without having a quorum, but those civil warrants carry no weight in Illinois.”
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The Texas lawmakers left the state to prevent the Republican-controlled legislature from reaching the quorum necessary to vote on new redistricting maps scheduled for Monday. The maps, which were approved by a committee over the weekend along party lines, would add five congressional seats favoring Republicans.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker welcomed the Texas Democrats who arrived in Illinois amid the redistricting dispute. “I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that they’re welcome here, that they have the ability to stay as long as they need to and want to,” Pritzker said Sunday evening.
The standoff highlights ongoing tensions over redistricting efforts following the 2020 census and the broader political battle between Democrats and Republicans in Texas.
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