Tensions ran high at the Texas Capitol Thursday as lawmakers held their first public hearing on a controversial plan to redraw the state’s congressional map just four years after the last one was finalized.
The five-hour hearing, hosted by the Texas House Redistricting Committee, drew dozens of speakers from across the state, CBS Austin reported. Not a single person spoke in favor of the redistricting effort.
The most dramatic moment came at the end, when District 18 congressional candidate Isaiah Martin was forcibly removed by Capitol security after refusing to stop speaking when his two-minute limit ran out.
“The sergeants are directed to remove the gentleman from the room,” said Chairman Cody Vasut, as Martin struggled with security and shouted, “History will not remember you for what you have done!”
According to online jail records, Martin was arrested by the Texas Department of Public Safety and is now facing charges of criminal trespassing, resisting arrest, and disrupting an official meeting.
His brother posted on social media that Isaiah may be in jail for up to three days.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R) claims the mid-cycle redistricting is necessary to address constitutional concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ flagged four Democratic-held, majority-minority districts as potential legal issues.
But many speakers rejected that reasoning.
“We deserve representation,” said Gabriel Rosales, Texas director for the League of United Latin American Citizens. “It is your responsibility to allow for diversity to be a part of the representation that we have going to Congress.”
Republican members of the committee barely engaged with those testifying, according to a report. At times, GOP state lawmakers were seen checking their phones or talking among themselves, frustrating Democratic panel members.
“I guess we’ll see at the end of this process whether the people sitting around these dioses are listening to this or whether it’s a kangaroo court.” Rep. Jolanda Jones complained.
No draft maps were released during the hearing, and no official explanation was given about which districts could be affected.
Abbott’s office maintains the move is in response to a July letter from the DOJ, which said District 33 and three other seats may be racially gerrymandered.
But many speakers argued the real reason is political pressure from Washington; President Trump has publicly urged Texas Republicans to add five more GOP-leaning seats before the 2026 midterms.
Texas has 38 congressional seats—25 currently held by Republicans.
“Have you seen any proposed maps that the White House or Trump’s operatives have sent?” asked Rep. Chris Turner. “No,” replied the Republican chair.
Civil rights leaders warned that the plan would further dilute the voting power of communities of color, who have driven nearly all of the state’s population growth.
“If this proposal goes through,” said Texas NAACP President Gary Bledsoe, “that means 84 percent of congressional seats would be controlled by white voters. If Trump gets five more seats, it becomes 87 percent.”
“If that doesn’t tell Black and Brown people they don’t matter, it absolutely does,” he added.
Others warned the plan would damage local economies and disrupt tight-knit communities.
“Please don’t forget that as Texans, we do not— we do not—bend the knee to anyone in Washington,” said Alicia Perez-Hodge, a longtime conservative activist who opposed the process.
Angela Valenzuela, another LULAC member, called the redistricting push “reckless.”
“Y’all are being played big time,” she said. “Have some self-respect here.”
Two more public hearings are scheduled. One will take place in Houston on Saturday at the University of Houston at 11 a.m. The other will be in Arlington on Monday at UT-Arlington at 5 p.m.
Each hearing will be limited to five hours of public testimony, with two minutes per speaker, said reports.