Democrats who fled Texas struggling with security threats

The Democratic legislators of Texas who decamped to Illinois Block a redistribution effort In their condition, they were threatened with arrest and criminal charges if they did not return home.

But while their time far from the state was dragging, the threats became more disturbing.

A group of states legislators who stayed in a hotel in St. Charles, a suburb outside of Chicago, suffered two threats to the bomb in different days. He reached the fact that Texas legislators have quietly changed the hotels and concluded an internal pact to keep these private details.

Even more about them was what their families were struggling with home.

Some legislators said their house in Texas had received repeated pizza deliveries when they had not placed the orders. He is now considered by the police as an intimidation tactic after the son of a judge has been murdered by an attacker Who pretended to be a delivery man.

In another case, the representative of the State, Diego Bernal, said that a man carrying a backpack presented himself at the residence of his family in San Antonio. Bernal told NBC News in an interview that the individual was represented as a worker for the water company and had started to ask where Bernal was, including when he was at home and for how long he had left.

The episode was taken on the family surveillance camera, and Bernal said that even if he did not know if the person intended to harm, it was certain that man was distorted, because he did not carry the customary identifiers of an employee of the Water Department.

“Almost everyone has a story like this now. You have it, you have the people of pizza, you have people online who say” hunt “,” said Bernal. “The online atmosphere has been really toxic, and one of the real disappointments on this subject is that when we are in session, even when we really disagree, when we have great debates and fights, there is always a level of respect, decorum and even personal compassion between the members of the aisle.

The threats have weighed on the legislators, who have now been far from their homes for almost two weeks Sketch their plans To return to Texas.

When he was asked for what he was afraid of, the representative of the State Gene Wu, president of Texas House Democratic Caucus, said a word: “Minnesota”. He referred to a minnestaa state legislator who was shot dead with her husband Earlier this year When the suspect appeared at home.

“I left instructions to my family: don’t open anyone to anyone. We are afraid that there is another minnesota incident,” said Wu in an interview. “We get threats all the time. When the Republicans have people who call us communists and traitors and all these other things, it provokes a certain reaction. And this threat is real. We do not take this light. “

The representative of the State of Texas, Ramon Romero Jr., who directs the Hispanic Democratic Caucus, deplored the threats in progress and what he described as tactics of intimidation of the Republicans as a disturbing “sign of time”.

He underlined Roger Stone, a long -standing ally of President Donald Trump, Publish a card With the location where the legislators stayed and the representative of the Gop State, Mitch Little, appointing the hotel, they stayed In a television interview Where he said: “He who wants to get them, we fully support this effort.”

“You have people who want to be famous, and because Roger Stone said:” This is where they are “the next day, there is a threat of bomb there,” said Romero. “It’s just a sign of time. This is what happens when people use incendiary comments, when they say: “Go ahead”. “

In response, Little said in a message to NBC News: “It’s ridiculous. I saw their location on social networks like everyone else. (The Ministry of Public Security) was responsible for bringing them back, and it was exactly who I spoke.”

And in an SMS, Stone said it was a press organization that revealed for the first time the hotel where legislators stayed.

In addition to security threats, members of the family of legislators supported other types of disturbances. The president of the Texas Chamber, Dustin Burrows, said earlier this week that the Ministry of Public Security had deployed special agents in all regions of the State, clearly indicating that they were ready to put the legislators in detention at any time.

“They are set up outside the members of the members, surveillance, hitting the doors, calling their phones several times a day. So far, no one is the house. But research will not stop,” said Burrows.

In a press release, Burrows denounced the threats to which the legislators were confronted. He also received a vocal message threatening his family, according to a copy of the voicemail examined by NBC News.

“The threats of violence and intimidation against elected officials do not have their place in our policy, and it is regrettable that members on both sides of the aisle were victims of harassment,” said Burrows. “These threats will never be tolerated and by working with the police, we will ensure that anyone targeting an elected representative of Texas or his family will face the whole law of the law.”

Governor’s office Greg Abbott also denounced threats to legislators and rejected the claims of democrats that Republicans attract flames.

“First and foremost, the violence – or even the threat of it – is unacceptable and the governor condemns it without reservation,” said Abbott spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris in a statement. “But suggest that the call to democrats to return to Texas and do their work ignites the threats is absurd.”

Friday, Burrows recruited the first special legislative session to an end and Abbott called for another to start a few hours later so that the legislators could consider, among other things, a new Congress card which could clearly the Republicans at five other seats.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom Thursday By calling on the legislators in its state to organize a special election which would allow them to continue their own effort to rediscover mid-December.

A person close to the situation who knows the plans said that the Democrats of Texas planned to return to their state “on Monday”. They settled Two conditions for their return: First, that the special session in Texas ends, and secondly that the Democrats of California publish their own proponcil proposal.

Wu said on Friday: “One of the two conditions was met when the governor sold. We expect the other condition to be met next week. ”