Illinois Governor Defiant When Asked About FBI Arresting Texas Dems Hiding In His State: ‘They’re Heroes!’

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (D) praised Democratic lawmakers who fled to his state to stall redistricting efforts “heroes” and warned Texas officials that their laws do not apply in his state.

Pritzker joined Kristen Welker on NBC News’ Meet the Press on Sunday where he addressed everything from a possible 2028 presidential run to rising tensions over Democratic lawmakers who fled Texas for Chicago to stall Republican-backed efforts in their state to redraw the state’s congressional maps.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) said officials are “preparing to arrest” the absent Democrats, while Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) claimed the FBI agreed to track them down and bring them back.

Pritzker vowed that Illinois would continue to be a “safe haven” for the lawmakers, calling them heroes fighting for the entire country. The governor slammed Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Abbott.

He said:

First of all, Texas law does not apply in the state of Illinois, and there’s no federal law that would allow the FBI to arrest anybody that’s here visiting our state. So, it’s a lot of grandstanding. That’s what this is all about, and so, John Cornyn, who’s trying to run for reelection, apparently losing to an even more extreme MAGA Republican, Ken Paxton, trying to get some headlines for himself. And Greg Abbott, of course, has been a disaster for the country, as he sent people across the country on his quest to change the immigration discussion. And, of course, we had 50,000 migrants that were sent to the state of Illinois because of him. So, what I can tell you is that the Texas Democrats that are here are welcome.

Pritzker further argued that redistricting efforts backed by President Donald Trump and Republicans are an effort to “cheat” before upcoming elections in 2026 and 2028. He claimed Texas officials are violating the Constitution as he declared, “Thank God for these Texas House Democrats.”

According to the governor:

We’re providing them a safe haven, a place for them to visit and stay, breaking quorum, because they’re heroes that are standing up not just for their own constituents and for the people of Texas and their rights but also for the rights of people all across the country. Because what Greg Abbott is doing and what Donald Trump is attempting to do is to cheat mid-decade here. This is — they’re attempting to change the map. They know that they’re going to lose in 2026 the Congress, and so they’re trying to steal seats.

Watch above via NBC.