Misty Spears
Role at the time: San Antonio City Council member for District 9
Response to this claim
DHS and ICE violated the National Environmental Policy Act and the Administrative Procedure Act by buying the Loop 410 warehouse and awarding a contract to convert it into a detention facility without an environmental review.
“Suing the federal government for enforcing our nation’s immigration laws is political theater at taxpayers’ expense.”
San Antonio Report coverage of the news conference announcing the lawsuit, with remarks from City Attorney Andy Segovia, Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and council members, and a DHS statement.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
The reference point is DHS and ICE's plan to convert the warehouse at 542 SE Loop 410 into an immigration detention facility without first completing an environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act. Spears describes the facility as the federal government enforcing the nation's immigration laws and calls the challenge political theater, so we labeled it Defended or excused. The closest competing label is Challenged the characterization, since she disputes the city's environmental framing; it loses because she presents the federal action as legitimate law enforcement.