By Illinois Review
Texas Democratic lawmakers have taken refuge at a secure hotel in St. Charles, Illinois, after Governor Greg Abbott ordered their arrest in response to their dramatic departure from the state – a move intended to block a Republican-backed redistricting bill.
The lawmakers are staying at the Q Center, a 95-acre hotel and conference facility nestled along the Fox River in suburban St. Charles. On Monday evening, security personnel were seen stationed at the entrance, controlling and restricting access to the gated property.
Late Monday, longtime Trump advisor Roger Stone tweeted a message directed at Governor Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, revealing the location of the lawmakers at the Q Center and concluding with the phrase, “Lock them up!”
On Monday, Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers to locate, detain and return the absent lawmakers to the state Capitol. He accused the legislators of abandoning their constitutional responsibilities and preventing the quorum needed to conduct official business.
At the center of the standoff is a Republican-backed plan to redraw Texas’s congressional map – a proposal Democrats have condemned as a “racist mid-decade redistricting scheme” designed to entrench partisan power.
Ironically, the Texas Democrats have taken refuge in Illinois, a state where Democrats have faced repeated criticism for aggressive partisan gerrymandering that critics say denies Republicans fair representation.
Governor JB Pritzker, who campaigned in 2018 on a promise to oppose gerrymandered maps, reversed course in 2021 by signing into law a redistricting plan that heavily favored his party – drawing national scrutiny and accusations of political hypocrisy.
While the Texas legislators continue to seek refuge at the Q Center, they are expected to attend a rally in Aurora later Tuesday, aiming to keep their fight – and the issue – in the national spotlight.
