More than 50 Democratic lawmakers in Texas left the state on Sunday in an attempt to deny the Republican-led legislature the quorum required to pass a controversial redistricting of the state.

"If you're seeing this video, my Democratic colleagues and I have just left our beloved state to break quorum and stop Trump's redistricting power grab," Democratic Representative James Talarico said in a video posted on X on Sunday.

Talarico said the Republican redistricting plan was an attempt at "rigging" the 2026 elections.

On Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered the arrest of what he called "delinquent Texas House Democrats," and threatened to remove the lawmakers if they did not return to the state within 24 hours.

What is the Texas redistricting plan?

Currently, the US House of Representatives is held by Republicans with a narrow 220-212 majority, with three Democratic-held seats vacant after members' deaths.

To determine the number of representatives that each state is allocated, states are required to redistrict every 10 years based on the US Census.

Texas' Republican-dominated legislature passed its latest redistricting just four years ago, but now it is pursuing a mid-cycle redistricting ahead of the 2026 congressional election.

US President Donald Trump has openly encouraged the Texas redistricting plan, telling reporters that he expects the effort to yield as many as five additional Republicans to the House of Representatives.

Governor Abbot threatens arrest, mass expulsions

A vote in the Texas legislature on the proposed maps had been set for Monday, but it cannot proceed if the majority of Democratic members deny a quorum by not being present.

Some of the state Democratic legislatures landed in New York and some in Chicago, where they were welcomed by the Democratic Governor of Illinois JB Pritzker. They all declined to say how long they would stay out of Texas.

"We will do whatever it takes. What that looks like, we don't know," said state Rep. Gene Wu, the Texas House Democratic Caucus leader.

Although the move was bold, legislative walkouts often only delay passage of a bill, but do not manage to stop it.

Governor Abbot said he ordered state officials to arrest the members who had fled.

"I ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to locate, arrest, and return to the House chamber any member who has abandoned their duty to Texans. This order will remain in effect until all missing Democrat House members are accounted for and brought to the Texas Capitol."

Abbott said earlier in a statement that any Democrat House member who did not return within 24 hours would be removed from the Texas House.

"Democrats hatched a deliberate plan not to show up for work, for the specific purpose of abdicating the duties of their office and thwarting the chamber's business," Abbot said.

Edited by: Wesley Rahn