Providence city councilor sues McKee for firing him over pro-Palestine stance • Rhode Island Current

Providence City Councilor Miguel Sanchez maintained he had no regrets for the pro-Palestine activism that led to his firing from Gov. Dan McKee’s office in October.

Now, he wants his job back, along with back pay and damages for the “mental anguish” and free speech violations from his firing, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court on Monday.

The 15-page complaint against McKee and two of his top advisors, Joseph Almond and Antonio Afonso, alleges the state administrators violated free speech protections under the First and 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by firing Sanchez over his social media posts and participation in a pro-Palestine rally in October.

“The First Amendment does not allow government employers to ‘silence discourse, not because it hampers public functions but simply because superiors disagree with the content of employees’ speech,” the complaint states, referring to a 1987 U.S. Supreme Court ruling protecting a Texas county constable’s clerical employee who was fired over a private comment she made about then-President Ronald Regan.

The complaint also describes Sanchez’ firing as “viewpoint discrimination.”

Sanchez was hired by the governor’s office in 2021 to work in the governor’s Constituent Services Office, earning $50,000 a year for an administrative position answering phone calls that was likened to “tech support” in the complaint. The position was not political, and the governor’s office had never taken issue with Sanchez’ personal politics previously, even after he was elected to the Providence City Council in 2022.

After the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, Sanchez made a series of social media posts condemning violence and called for a cease-fire. He also shared a video from a pro-Palestine rally held outside the Rhode Island State House on Oct. 21. While the rally was reported to have included antisemitic chants, Sanchez “did not engage or advocate for any violence, intimidation, harassment, or anything other than peaceful marching,” the complaint stated.

Two days after the rally, McKee’s legislative director, Rico Vota, brought in Sanchez for questioning. Rota told Sanchez it was “inappropriate” to publicly state an opinion at odds with McKee, and to refrain from additional social media posts. Vota also told Sanchez his behavior could “complicate” Sanchez’s pending application to transfer to a job with the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training.

Sanchez complied, refraining from social media posts and forwarding press inquiries to McKee’s advisors, according to the complaint. After a story highlighting his previous, social media posts, including from the rally, was published in the Providence Journal, Sanchez was again called in by McKee’s advisors, and fired.

During that final meeting, Sanchez alleges he was denied the opportunity to speak to human resources or a legal advisor. The complaint also states he was asked if he took down his prior social media posts, even though he was never asked to previously.

His firing, with a week of severance, was confirmed by McKee’s administration on Nov. 1.

The complaint asks the court to award back pay and compensation for Sanchez’s subsequent job search and force McKee’s office to reinstate Sanchez. 

Sanchez now works as a case manager for Better Lives Rhode Island, a Providence social services agency. He declined to comment on the lawsuit on Wednesday.

McKee’s office did not immediately return inquiries for comment. The defendants had not filed a response in court as of Wednesday morning.