Texas Lawmakers Again Evacuated From St. Charles Hotel Amid 2nd Bomb Threat In Days

ST. CHARLES, IL —For the second time this week, authorities in St. Charles evacuated hotel guests from the Q-Center Hotel and Convention Complex in St. Charles on Friday morning.

The St. Charles Police Department responded at about 8:30 a.m. Friday to the complex at 1405 N. 5th Avenue for a reported potential bomb threat, authorities said.

Authorities searched the hotel and did not find any explosive devices, and all 70 hotel guests who were evacuated from the hotel were able to return safely to their rooms, police said.

Among those evacuated are dozens of Texas Democrats who are staying at the Q-Center as they work to deny Republicans a quorum to vote on a congressional redistricting plan. Democrats say the vote could eliminate Democratic House seats.

Texas statehouse Rep. Josey Garcia, who is among the Texas Democrats staying at the Q Center this week, said the threats do not come as a surprise, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

“When people are desperate, they do desperate things, but even more so when our government and attorney general are inciting the nation to hunt us and deeming us criminals,” Garcia told the Sun-Times on Friday. “I don’t expect those will stop us.”

The first threat happened on Wednesday when police were called to the hotel and 400 people were immediately evacuated. The area was secured as bomb squad units investigated the situation.

All guests and staff were able to safely return to the hotel after the scene was cleared, police said.

• Texas Lawmakers Among 400 Evacuated From St. Charles Hotel Amid Bomb Threat

Texas Officials Try To Thwart Redistricting

More than 50 state lawmakers have left Texas for other states — including Illinois — to prevent a quorum and stop special sessions to redraw legislative districts to give five more Republican seats to President Donald Trump.

Earlier this week, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul spoke out against legal threats against Texas state officials who've come to Illinois, saying Texas police cannot come to Illinois to arrest Democrats.

"In Illinois, the rule of law matters, and law enforcement must have a legitimate legal basis to arrest someone," Raoul said in a statement. "Texas law enforcement officers have no authority to hunt down and make arrests of Texas legislators in Illinois based on a civil arrest warrant issued by the Texas House. The Texas House may have managed to issue civil arrest warrants without having a quorum, but those civil warrants carry no weight in Illinois."

Pritzker is among Democratic governors who have also responded to redistricting efforts by saying he's considered whether Illinois should redraw its map in Democrats' favor, adding, "everything has to be on the table," CBS reported. "Trump came up with a new scheme to rig the system by ramming through a corrupt, mid-decade redistricting plan that would steal five congressional seats, silencing millions of voters, especially Black and Latino voters."