Texas GOP saddles Democrats with armed minders and permissions slips

Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier camped out on the state House floor overnight after flatly refusing a Republican order to submit to Department of Public Safety supervision.

When most state Democrats returned to Austin on Monday—after fleeing the state to block GOP gerrymandering—Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows slapped them with restrictions straight out of a police state. Lawmakers could leave the floor only with written permission and a DPS escort until the chamber reconvenes on Wednesday. According to CBS News, 120 members were present on the floor on Monday, but 30 remained absent, highlighting the continued impact of Democrats’ two-week quorum break.

“Members who have not been present until today, for whom arrest warrants were issued, will be granted written permission to leave only after agreeing to be released into the custody of a designated [Department of Public Safety] officer appointment,” Burrows stated Monday, adding that the officers would “ensure” Democrats return for the next special session, which begins Wednesday at 11 AM ET.

Civil arrest warrants remain “in force” for lawmakers who hadn’t returned with the rest of the caucus, Burrows said.

In essence, that turned dozens of state troopers, paid by taxpayers, into hall monitors for elected officials. Republicans, always boasting about being the party of “law and order,” reduced law enforcement to chaperones for political opponents—aiming to push through a gerrymandered map.

Most Democrats reluctantly played along, showing reporters their “permission slips” while troopers followed them through the Capitol. However, Collier, representing part of the Fort Worth area, refused to relinquish her freedom of movement, effectively locking herself inside the building. 

“I have a right to resist, I have a right to oppose, just like my voters do,” she told CBS via Zoom. “All the Democrats will be working together to get that legal record set so that we can take this fight to the court.”

Initially stuck on the floor, Collier was later allowed into her office—but she couldn’t leave the Capitol unless she submitted to state surveillance. Fellow Democrat Gene Wu, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, stayed with her, sharing photos of their supplies: dried peaches, freeze-dried grapes, popcorn, and ramen.

In a statement, Collier described her stand as based on principle.

“My constituents sent me to Austin to protect their voices and rights. I refuse to sign away my dignity as a duly elected representative just so Republicans can control my movements and monitor me with police escorts,” she said. “My community is majority-minority, and they expect me to stand up for their representation. When I press that button to vote, I know these maps will harm my constituents—I won’t just go along quietly with their intimidation or their discrimination.”

The Democratic caucus supported her, criticizing GOP leadership for trying to “monitor and control” Democrats after their quorum break. They also accused Republicans of preventing the public and press from witnessing Collier’s defiance.

Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke also supported Collier.

“A true hero, refusing to submit, fighting these fascists by herself if she has to,” he posted on social media.

Earlier Monday, dozens of Democrats received a hero’s welcome back into the chamber, with supporters cheering them. Their two-week walkout—spent in Democrat-led states like Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York—had denied Texas Gov. Greg Abbott a quorum and stalled his special session.

Meanwhile, the House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting approved the new GOP maps along party lines, 12-8, on Monday evening. The legislation now moves to the full House, which could vote as early as Wednesday. The maps would create five new Republican-leaning districts for the 2026 midterm elections, solidifying Texas as a key battleground in the national redistricting fight. If approved, Democrats plan to challenge the maps in court.

Their resistance is happening amid efforts by Republicans in other states to extend their power, and as Democrats consider retaliatory moves in California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom has floated maps that could give his party up to five additional seats if Texas Republicans push theirs through.

The irony is striking. The GOP often claims to be the defender of taxpayers and the enforcer of law and order. Yet here they are, wasting public money to turn troopers into babysitters for political rivals. It isn’t law and order—it’s surveillance and intimidation.