{"id":156972,"date":"2025-08-18T23:46:15","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T23:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/156972\/"},"modified":"2025-08-18T23:46:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T23:46:15","slug":"fort-worth-rep-collier-refuses-to-leave-texas-house-protesting-state-trooper-escorts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/156972\/","title":{"rendered":"Fort Worth Rep. Collier refuses to leave Texas House, protesting state trooper escorts"},"content":{"rendered":"

AUSTIN \u2014\u00a0 A Fort Worth lawmaker is refusing to leave the Texas House chambers on Monday to protest the round-the-clock monitoring by state troopers of Democrats who fled the state<\/a>.<\/p>\n

GOP Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows is requiring the Democrats, who broke quorum in an effort to stop a Republican redistricting plan, to be escorted by state troopers in order to leave the House chamber. But late Monday, after the day\u2019s business concluded, Rep. Nicole Collier of Fort Worth remained, saying she was opposing such monitoring of the legislators.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how long I will be here,\u201d she wrote in a statement to the Fort Worth Report.\u00a0 \u201cInstead of DPS officers looking for pedophiles, they have been assigned to follow Democratic state representatives around only to ensure their return to the Capitol on Wednesday (when the House reconvenes). I sure hope the public feels safe without those officers on beat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Collier said she had permission to leave the chamber to go to her office or to the bathroom but that she could not leave the Capitol without the escort.<\/p>\n

Tarrant County\u2019s four House Democrats returned on the opening day of a second special session on Monday, fulfilling the quorum required to conduct business. The Texas House Democrats fled the state during the first special session to stop a vote on a proposed congressional redistricting map that could potentially flip seats in favor of Republican candidates<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Burrows\u2019 requirement for round-the-clock security escorts on the returning members followed measures earlier threatened \u2014 such as civil arrests and potential expulsion \u2014 when more than 50 Democrats left for Illinois and other states two weeks ago to block the redistricting plan.<\/p>\n

Collier and fellow Tarrant Democratic Reps. Chris Turner of Grand Prairie, Ramon Romero of Fort Worth and Salman Bhojani of Euless participated in the so-called quorum break. Bhojani at first went to Pakistan for a family medical emergency before joining colleagues in Illinois.<\/p>\n

Although passage of the redistricting effort backed by President Donald Trump seems assured, the Tarrant Democrats echoed others in proclaiming that their actions ignited a \u201cnational conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew that this was something we were not going to be able to stop,\u201d Romero said. \u201cWe could slow it down, though, and that\u2019s exactly what we did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gov. Greg Abbott and other GOP leaders have assailed the absentee Democrats for abdicating their responsibilities and constitutional duties. Turner was among lawmakers Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sought to oust from office for breaking quorum<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rogue Democrat legislators who fled the state have abandoned their duties, leaving their seats vacant,\u201d Paxton said in an Aug. 8 statement. \u201cThese cowards deliberately sabotaged the constitutional process and violated the oath they swore to uphold.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Texans drew support from Democratic governors in California and New York and energized efforts to challenge the redistricting plan, Tarrant lawmakers said.<\/p>\n

Turner said the nationally publicized walkout generated \u201cnational outrage around Trump\u2019s mid-decade redistricting, and as a result of the fight we started, you see other states responding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Texas House Democrats made \u201cgerrymandering\u201d a household word, Collier added in her statement.<\/p>\n

However, the Tarrant members acknowledged that their absences were accompanied by personal hardship, including time away from family and businesses back home. Bhojani said he was forced to hire security and to relocate his wife as a result of threats and efforts to post his personal information on social media.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

From that standpoint, he said, the DPS escorts ordered by the House speaker could be a plus.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll feel much better that they\u2019re protecting me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

This is a developing story and will be updated.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n

Republish This Story<\/p>\n

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