A group of Texas Democrats returned yesterday to the state House in Austin where they spent the night — the latest step in a broader protest over Republican plans to redraw congressional districts in

The Capitol grounds were cleared after 7 p.m. as a demonstration against a GOP redistricting plan was about to begin. Texas lawmakers and staff members were allowed to remain inside the Capitol.

Texas Democratic state Rep. Nicole Collier abruptly left a call with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other party members after she was told she was committing a felony.

Texas Republicans mandated that Democratic lawmakers not be allowed to leave the state house without a permission slip and a police escort.

Activists protest the confinement of Rep. Nicole Collier (D-Fort Worth) outside the House Chamber at the Texas Capitol Austin, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. Rep. Collier has not left the House floor after refusing to have a DPS escort in order to do so.

The Fort Worth Democrat was confined in the Capitol overnight after refusing to be shadowed by state police, a requirement for lawmakers who had left the state.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday threw her support behind Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier, who has spent two nights effectively trapped inside the state Capitol after refusing Republican demands that she agree to 24-hour police surveillance.

Rep. Nicole Collier gets surprise phone call from former Vice President Kamala Harris during her second night sleeping on Texas House floor.

A Texas Democratic state lawmaker abruptly left a call with Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin and other top party leaders on Wednesday after she was warned she was committing a felony.

State Rep. Nicole Collier can’t leave the Texas Capitol building because she won’t sign a paper agreeing to a state police escort.