Minutes later, as they stared at their phones, Gov. Greg Abbott celebrated the ordering of their arrest. The atmosphere, according to a person in the room, remained tense while the bell rang to call the session to order but turned more defiant and boisterous during the speakers’ remarks and press conference.

Texas Republican lawmakers returned to the Capitol without Democrats, who fled to block a vote on a GOP-drawn congressional map.

The chair of the Democratic Caucus in Texas' House of Representatives called Governor Abbott's move "purely insanity."