Texas GOP Ordered Dems to Sign a Hall Pass or Face Arrest. So This Rep. Slept in the Capitol.

Rep. Nicole Collier agreed to return to the state after fleeing to delay a vote on GOP gerrymandering—but refused to further comply with the House Speaker's inane demands.

By Danielle Han | August 20, 2025 | 3:06pm

Politics

Texas GOP Ordered Dems to Sign a Hall Pass or Face Arrest. So This Rep. Slept in the Capitol.

“This was my night, bonnet and all, in the #txlege,” Nicole Collier wrote on Twitter. Photo: @NicoleCollier95

Rep. Nicole Collier agreed to return to the state after fleeing to delay a vote on GOP gerrymandering…but refused to comply with the House Speaker’s inane demands.

“This is not what a free democracy does,” Texas Rep. Nicole Collier told NPR on Tuesday, while being held captive at the Texas State Capitol in Austin. “We’ve got to put a stop to it, we’ve got to take a stand, and protect the freedoms that we have, because before we know it… we won’t have any freedoms to defend.”

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The democratic congresswoman has been in “illegal confinement” in the state chamber since Monday, having refused to comply with Texas GOP politicians’ crazy chaperoning rules. She is one of over 50 Democrats who fled Texas in early August, breaking quorum in order to delay a vote on gerrymandering, and one of two dozen who returned earlier this week. After refusing to sign a slip ensuring she’d return for the redistricting vote on Wednesday, Collier was forced to sleep in the chamber for the last two nights.

State Republicans previously threw a temper tantrum over their escape, with Governor Greg Abbott saying he would get the FBI to wrangle the Dems back into his domain, and House Speaker Dustin Burrows issuing civil-arrest warrants. On Monday, Burrows pressured all prodigal lawmakers to sign a “permission slip” to: 1) promise to return for the vote; and 2) let a state police officer follow them until they did. If they didn’t comply, the House speaker warned the runaway Dems that they wouldn’t be able to leave the chamber without risking arrest. Texas has long been known for its political theater, but even this authoritarian stunt of Trump cronyism was surprising.

Democrats who did sign the slip were reportedly stalked by law enforcement creeps. Scuttling through the chamber with an officer hot on his heels, Rep. Gene Wu called the experience “a new one.” And Rep. Linda Garcia, who drove three hours home to Dallas from the State House and went grocery shopping afterwards, told the Associated Press that wherever she went, there was always an officer close behind. Even the AP reported that during their interview, two unmarked cars with officers inside lurked outside Garcia’s home.

“What happened in the past was always that you just, you know, swear that you’re going to come back, and that’s it,” Wu explains. But the GOP slips shocked even seasoned politicians—many of whom say they’d never seen anything like it. “It’s an example of the lengths Republicans will go to get what they want,” Collier explains. “It’s very disappointing that Republicans have shown their hand. They have shown us that they want to do Trump’s bidding.”

The bidding in question refers to Donald Trump asking Abbott to redistrict the state so that he can hold onto his stupid trifecta ahead of next year’s midterms. By redrawing Texas, the GOP could secure another five seats.

While Collier did agree to return to the state, she’s declined to sign anything—and so, they locked her in the Capitol. “I refuse to comply with this unreasonable, un-American, and unnecessary request,” she told CBS News on Tuesday. “I’m not a criminal, I’ve not done anything wrong,” she further explained to NPR. “I’ve exercised my constitutional rights, denied quorum. And what they’ve asked is for members to be released into the custody of DPS. It’s not just an escort—it’s in the custody. As if we have committed some type of crime.” She said several other Democrats followed suit to “[tear] up their permission slips” and then joined her on the floor Tuesday night. Slumber party!

The Fort Worth Democrat has also since filed a habeas corpus lawsuit, declaring that “the restraint on her liberty is illegal.” The petition also challenges whether the chamber has the authority to put lawmakers under law-enforcement surveillance, and asserts “the government does not have the power to compel any Texas citizen or any elected official into preemptive custody.”

As of Wednesday morning, Collier is still being held hostage–but going strong. On Tuesday night, she received a call from Kamala Harris, who’d praised her on the effort. “I just want you to know that you are among those who history will [reveal as a hero] of the moment,” she told Collier in a video posted on Twitter. “So you just stay strong and do what you are doing.”

Now, the chamber has reconvened, and Republican lawmakers are licking their lips as the state is poised to likely redraw Texas. Another proud day to be an American.

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