Texas Representative Nicole Collier says she was threatened with a felony charge and forced to hang up on a Democratic National Committee press call while sitting inside the state Capitol on Wednesday.

A Democratic state lawmaker who fled Texas in protest of a GOP redistricting effort is asking a court to let her exit the Capitol, after she was told she needs a police escort to leave the building.

After Democrats returned to the Texas statehouse, Republican leadership assigned law enforcement officers to monitor them to prevent further delays to their plan to redraw congressional voting districts to favor Republicans ahead of the election.

Rep. Nicole Collier was forced off a call with the Democratic National Committee that she had joined while under House arrest in the state capital.

The Capitol grounds were cleared after 7 p.m. as a demonstration against a GOP redistricting plan was about to begin. Texas lawmakers and staff members were allowed to remain inside the Capitol.

The standoff began on Monday, when Democratic members returned to the Capitol after being out of the state for more than two weeks due to a controversial redistricting map. Rep. Collier refused to agree to leave the chamber under the surveillance of the Department of Public Safety.

House Republicans in Texas are about to pass a Trump-backed congressional map meant to strip Democrats of five U.S. House seats, sparking a national feud over partisan redistricting. Texas State Rep.

The Texas State Capitol was cleared of visitors Tuesday evening and closed to the public after a social media threat, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.