Texas Rep. Nicole Collier Being Held Hostage At State House
The Texas redistricting saga takes another turn as state Republicans have confined Democratic Rep. Nicole Collier to the state House after she refused to sign a “permission slip” requiring she be surveilled by local police until a vote on the new map passes.
According to NBC News, Rep. Collier will be held in the state House until the state representatives reconvene on Wednesday morning. Rep. Collier has served her Fort Worth district for seven terms and was the former chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus. Collier was one of the Texas Democrats who left the state earlier this month to stall a redistricting effort by state Republicans.
“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 DPS officer appointment under the rules of the House who will ensure your return on Wednesday at 10 a.m.,” Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows told the chamber on Monday.
Texas Democrats fled the state two weeks ago to deny state Republicans the quorum needed to vote on a new electoral map, adding five seats in districts President Trump won by double digits. In response, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the civil arrest of the Texas Democrats and filed a lawsuit to remove Rep. Gene Wu from his seat. The first special session concluded last week without a vote on the map, though Gov. Abbott immediately ordered a new one to begin. Texas Democrats returned to the state over the weekend, and the map is expected to pass this week.
“My constituents sent me to Austin to protect their voices and rights,” Rep. Nicole Collier said in a statement from the Texas House Democratic Caucus. “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. 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.”
KLTV interviewed Rep. Nicole Collier overnight while locked in the House chamber. She expressed discontent with the way state Republicans have handled Democratic dissent throughout the redistricting process. “I’m fed up. I’m tired of being pushed around and told what to do when I disagree with the actions of our government,” Collier told KLTV. “I didn’t wake up to do this. I woke up to come here to fight against some motions that could have been filed. I didn’t come here to sleep on this floor.”
The Texas redistricting saga began last month after President Donald Trump requested Gov. Abbott begin a rare, mid-decade redistricting effort to protect Republican control of the House in the 2026 midterms. Gov. Abbott called a special legislative session last month that was supposed to address the devastating floods that killed over 100 people. Instead, state Democrats found the session primarily focused on drafting the new legislative map.
The actions the Texas Democrats have inspired several Blue states to counterpunch against Texas’ redistricting effort. Most notably, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the Election Rigging Response Act last week. The state will hold a special election on Nov. 4, where voters will decide whether a new electoral map to combat Texas’ gerrymandering will go into effect ahead of the 2026 midterms. The election will also determine whether control of California’s electoral maps will rest with the current independent redistricting commission or with the state legislature through 2030.
The actions of Rep. Nicole Collier and the Texas Democrats are precisely the kind of resistance we need against the increasingly authoritarian GOP. This isn’t normal, and we should be alarmed. A state representative shouldn’t be held as a political prisoner simply because she disagrees with a plan to gerrymander an election. For a group that loves to tout that they’re the “Freedom Party,” the GOP has explicitly shown that their idea of freedom only applies to people who agree with them.
This is a developing story.
SEE ALSO:
Texas Democrats Will Return To State After Special Session Ends
US Senator John Cornyn, FBI Team Up To Hunt Texas Democrats
Texas Dems Fight Redistricting Effort Through Filibusters
Gov. Greg Abbott Orders Arrest Of Texas Democrats
Eric Holder Strategizes Against Gerrymandering With House Democrats
Texas State Dems Break Quorum To Prevent Redistricting Vote
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Sues To Remove Democratic Rep In Redistricting Fight
Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom Counters Texas Redistricting Effort
Texas Creates 5 New House Seats In Areas Trump Won In 2024
