“They’re hunting us down like animals”
Editor’s note: The following report by Chinta Strausberg was written prior to the return of Texas Democratic lawmakers on Monday, August 18, 2025. The updated opening reflects the latest developments before transitioning into her original story.
Texas Democrats Return, Ending Walkout—but Redistricting Battle Heats Up
After a two-week exodus to states including Illinois, Texas House Democrats returned to Austin on August 18, re-establishing a quorum and clearing the way for the Republican-led Legislature to advance its contentious mid-decade redistricting plan—a move backed by former President Trump aimed at giving Republicans up to five additional U.S. House seats.
In retaliation for their quorum-breaking absence, Gov. Greg Abbott convened a second special session, reaffirmed his determination to pass the maps, and directed law enforcement to monitor Democratic members’ movements. He also pursued legal avenues to punish lawmakers who abandoned their posts.
One Democratic lawmaker, Rep. Nicole Collier, protested so strongly against police surveillance that she refused to sign a “permission slip” excusing her absence. She instead spent the night on the House floor, livestreaming as plainclothes officers shadowed her colleagues.
Meanwhile, the redistricting clash has triggered an arms race in other states. California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans to override his state’s independent redistricting commission, setting a November 4 special election to approve a new Democratic map if Texas enacts its plan. Democratic-led states, including Wisconsin, Illinois, New York, and Maryland, are also weighing aggressive redistricting measures to offset Republican gains, creating a volatile national battle for congressional control.
This is Chinta Strausberg’s original story (filed before August 18 return)
“We came to Illinois as a friendly place. We didn’t run from anyone. We ran into the fight to save the soul of America and democracy,” Texas Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins told members of St. Sabina Church.
Father Michael Pfleger dedicated a song of faith to the Texas Democrats, bringing tears to Gervin-Hawkins’ eyes. Overwhelmed by the support, she cried during the Sunday, August 10, worship service.
Gervin-Hawkins, joined by Rep. Robin Kelly (D-2nd) and Rev. Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, thanked Pfleger and the congregation for their encouragement. She said she would not apologize for her emotions as the audience stood in applause. “This congregation made it all come out. I felt the love when I walked in the door,” said Gervin-Hawkins, who also chairs the Texas Legislative Black Caucus.
The lawmakers fled Texas to block what they described as a racially gerrymandered remap. The plan, ordered by President Trump, would shift five minority congressional districts—four represented by Black lawmakers and one by another minority representative—to white Republican colleagues.
According to CBS News, Trump urged Texas Republicans to redraw the map before the midterm elections, declaring, “We are entitled to five more seats.”
Representing San Antonio, where legislators earn $600 a month plus $221 per diem while in session, Gervin-Hawkins pleaded for national support.
Pfleger praised the Democrats for their “courage, boldness and most importantly your sacrifice. In a day when so many have assimilated to this authoritarian fascist government, to a madman and not just at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but a madman who is the governor of Texas,” Pfleger said, “wickedness seems to have taken over.”
Calling their action a “living civic lesson on the struggle for civil rights,” Pfleger blasted leaders who remain silent. “I am tired of those backless Republicans and some backless Democrats who talk about being politically correct, and we got to be respectful. What the hell are you talking about?”
“We’re dealing with mad men. We are dealing with people who are not ashamed to say anything, and you want to play nice with them? It’s time to take the gloves off and say we will stand for democracy and we will stand for justice,” Pfleger said.
Dyson praised the Texas lawmakers, especially the Black women among them. “What they are doing in Texas, it is supposed to be the voters who choose their politics, but they want politicians to choose their voters,” he said.
On Saturday, August 9, Gervin-Hawkins joined Reps. Jolanda Jones, a Houston attorney, Lauren Ashley Simmons, and Ron Reynolds at a press conference at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Asked by the Chicago Crusader about Black residents who may feel the Texas remap is not their issue, Gervin-Hawkins accused Republicans of attempting to dismantle districts historically held by African Americans. “This racially gerrymandering of Black districts has already begun across the nation,” she said. “That is another reason Blacks must support our fight for democracy and justice.”
Rep. Jones agreed. “All Blacks should be concerned about this because in North Carolina, they racially gerrymandered last year and they stole four (Democratic) seats. As a result, that Big Ugly Tax bill passed. This attempt to take five Texas seats is just the beginning,” she said.
In retaliation, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the Department of Public Safety to “hunt them down” and have them arrested for abandoning their posts. The Democrats face $500 daily fines, and Republicans voted to cut their staff budgets by 30 percent while they remain away.
“They are doing everything to block us,” said Gervin-Hawkins. “I will cry a little bit, but it is only energizing all of us to keep moving on.”
She pleaded again for national solidarity: “We need you. We need the entire country. What we’re fighting for is for democracy. What we’re fighting for is the soul of America, the land of the free, the home of the brave. We need your help.”
Joined by Texas Reps. Ron Reynolds of Houston and Charlene Johnson Ward of Houston, Gervin-Hawkins explained, “Over fifty of us came to break quorum to stop the racist gerrymandering.”
“What is so challenging and why I am so full this morning is because they are hunting us down like animals,” she said. “I just got a devastating call. We got to be on the run again. The warrants (for their arrest) have recently passed the state lines from Texas over here to Illinois now.”
Reflecting on her Republican colleagues back in Texas, Gervin-Hawkins recalled times they prayed together and pledged allegiance to the American and Texas flags. She said she could not understand “how they think it’s OK to hunt us down rather than allow us to follow the rules and be obedient to what we can do. That just goes to show you that the devil is alive, but your prayers will keep us strong. Help us,” she pleaded. “We need you to get the word out. We need you to help us raise funds.”