The chair of the Texas House Democratic caucus remained defiant Thursday in the face of one US senator’s bid to enlist the FBI’s help in returning him and his state House colleagues to the state.

FBI Director Kash Patel has agreed to aid the search for the Texas Democratic lawmakers who left the state to protest new congressional maps, Sen. John Cornyn said Thursday.

Texas Republicans have been trying to bring the state Democratic lawmakers back in order to vote on their redistricting plan.