AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Senator John Cornyn has requested and received approval from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to assist in returning House Democrats who left the state to prevent a vote on redistricting.

In a statement shared with CBS Austin, Cornyn said the following:

I am proud to announce that Director Kash Patel has approved my request for the FBI to assist state and local law enforcement in locating runaway Texas House Democrats,” said Sen. Cornyn. “I thank President Trump and Director Patel for supporting and swiftly acting on my call for the federal government to hold these supposed lawmakers accountable for fleeing Texas. We cannot allow these rogue legislators to avoid their constitutional responsibilities

The move, along with efforts from State Attorney General Ken Paxton, are leaving political experts miffed over the legality of their actions.

"The challenge is that there's a political side to this and there's a legal side to this," said Joshua Blank of the Texas Politics Project.

He noted that the involvement of federal agents could lead to a constitutional crisis if they attempt to compel state representatives to return.

Abraham George, chairman of the Texas GOP, expressed support for Cornyn's actions.

"I'm glad he's doing that because we support any legal means that we currently have to get these Democrats back into Texas," he said.

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George says he expects Democrats to return to the state and do their jobs. Of Paxton's actions, George says, "The Attorney General is the top law enforcement officer in the state of Texas, so he's doing what comes with his job description. And, you know, he's working with the governor."

George adds that Texas Republicans are unified on this front currently.

Paxton has given Democrats until Friday to return to the Capitol or face legal action. He has also filed a petition to remove Texas House Democratic Caucus Chairman Gene Wu from office.

However, Mark P. Jones, a political science professor at Rice University, dismissed the likelihood of such removals.

"The idea that they would actually be removed in the short to medium term is preposterous, that one, there is no authority to do that," said Jones.

Both Cornyn and Paxton are engaged in campaigns against each other for Cornyn's Senate seat, adding a layer of political rivalry to the situation.

Despite this, Blank believes the issue is not a concern for Republican primary voters in Texas.

"When it comes to the actions of the Attorney General and the sitting senior senator, I think there's an audience of one, and that's the president," said Blank.

Jones adds, "Nobody wants to be seen as not doing everything they can to further Donald Trump's agenda on the Republican side."

State Representative Diego Bernal, a Democrat from San Antonio, criticized the actions of Cornyn and Paxton.

"What has our country become when you’ve got politicians sending out law enforcement, state and federal, to corral their colleagues to make them vote on maps that benefit them," he said.

Bernal's criticisms didn't end there.

"These people are willing to do whatever it takes," he said. "Sell our own people out, because the thing that's most important to them is keeping or winning a seat."

When speaking of Democrats' actions, Bernal said the Texas Democrats are taking things one day at a time when it comes to evaluating how much longer they will continue to break quorum.

George did express some slight concerns about there being a second special session due to the Democrats' continued absence.

"I'm pretty sure the governor is going to call another special session if they don't get this done," he said.

He also chastised Democrats who left the state, saying they're leaving conversations over flood relief on the table.

Paxton is also investigating two political action committees, one run by Beto O'Rourke and the other by George Soros, for allegedly funding the Democrats who left the state.

Jones calls this just a stunt to raise doubt.

"What the attorney general is doing by attempting to vacate their offices, by potentially charging them with bribery, by trying to allege that they're taking money from illegal sources, all of that combined increases the cost without doing anything with the benefits," he said.

The Democrats have been charged with a civil offense under Texas House rules, which means the FBI lacks constitutional authority to make arrests in this matter.