After announcing a 4 p.m. deadline, state Senate Republicans voted to issue an order to detain Thursday for the 14 Democratic state senators still in Illinois.
The order acts as an arrest warrant for the senate Democrats on the run, meaning once they set foot in the state they are subject to arrest on charges of contempt and disorderly behavior.
State Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, said early in the afternoon his peers remained steadfast in their opposition to the bill and would remain in Illinois until a compromise could be achieved.
""Issuing arrest warrants at 4 p.m. isn't going to solve the problem,"" Erpenbach said in a statement. ""This is a debate about protection of the middle class in Wisconsin—that is what the Republicans should be focusing on.""
Gov. Scott Walker said people across the state are frustrated with the Senate Democrats' absence, and pleaded for the ""reasonable"" ones to resist the pressure of their caucus and return home.
However, the Wisconsin Professional Police Association condemned the move by Senate Republicans as an abuse of power.
""The thought of using law enforcement officers to exercise force in order to achieve a political objective is insanely wrong, and Wisconsin sorely needs reasonable solutions and not potentially dangerous political theatrics,"" the WPPA said in a statement.
According to Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, the order was a result of a lawsuit filed in Oconto County against state Sen. Jim Holperin, D-Conover, in which the judge said only the Senate could take this sort of action.
""Ultimately, my goal is to return one of these senators back to the chamber,"" Fitzgerald said. ""This is not about the bill, this has nothing to do with the legislation that brought us to this point. This is all about restoring and preserving the idea that the Wisconsin state senate is a legislative body that is representative of the government.""
However, state Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller, D-Madison, said the Republicans are concerned with the wrong issue.
""Our focus needs to be on how we move our state forward, balancing our budget and protecting people's rights, not how we exact political revenge,"" Miller said in a statement.
