William Sanchez

William Jose Sanchez (born 1961) is an American lawyer who served as the special counsel for the Office of Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices in the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice from 2004 to 2007.

Early life and education Sanchez was born in Manhattan, New York in 1961. Sanchez is Cuban American; his parents fled Cuba during the Cuban Revolution, and his uncle was later executed by the Cuban military.

He graduated from the University of Miami in 1982, and received a Juris doctor from Georgetown University Law Center in 1986.

Government career Sanchez, a Republican, was nominated by President George W. Bush to be the special counsel for the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices. Sanchez was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on December 4, 2004. Sanchez left the office in 2007.

During the 2021 Cuban protests, Sanchez worked alongside several human rights organizations, working to connect Cuban exiles with relatives in Cuba. In 2021, Sanchez also worked on the legal team for the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo regarding legal arbitration against the government from Dig Oil, an oil exploration company.

Sanchez's aunt and uncle were killed in the Surfside condominium collapse.

Sanchez filed a case on behalf of Florida taxpayers against Florida governor Ron DeSantis who signed the bill to abolish the Reedy Creek Improvement District. The case was dismissed by federal judge Cecilia Altonaga.

Sanchez was a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2022 United States Senate election in Florida, coming in third place with 5.6% of the vote.