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Iowa Democrats are rallying behind a school superintendent who was arrested by ICE on allegations that he is in the country illegally this week, and they are led by a school board chair who once held a key role in the Obama White House.
After ICE arrested Ian Roberts, the superintendent for Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) last week, school board chair Jackie Norris called for people to have “radical empathy” as Roberts’ case plays out. Norris previously served as White House chief of staff for then-first lady Michelle Obama. Meanwhile, Republicans in the state legislature are also launching a probe into how the board chose Roberts in the first place.
Norris supported Roberts in a statement on Friday in which she said that officials “do not have all the facts.”
“There is much we do not know,” Norris said. “However, what we do know is that Dr. Roberts has been an integral part of our school community since he joined over two years ago.”
Authorities said a handgun was found in a vehicle used by Ian Roberts to flee from pursuing ICE agents. (ICE)
“During his time with our district, he has shown up in ways big and small and has advocated for students and staff, and has begun introducing concepts that will help us reimagine education for future generations,” she continued.
Norris said Roberts joined the school district in July 2023 after having served in various school districts across the U.S. for “over 20 years.” Norris was not the chair of the school board at the time Roberts started, but she has been a member since 2021.
Meanwhile, Republicans in the Iowa legislature are calling for a wider probe to ensure proper hiring practices are being followed across the state. Iowa’s House Government Oversight Committee also sent a letter to the DMPS directing it to preserve documents related to Roberts’ hiring.
“I will not hesitate to introduce and pass legislation to mandate enhanced hiring protocols, increase transparency in district operations, and protect the resources allocated to our schools through the appropriations process,” State Rep. Austin Harris said. “Iowa’s families deserve nothing less than a safe, lawful, and effective education system for their children.”
DMPS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Jackie Norris worked as Michelle Obama’s chief of staff in the White House in 2009. (Getty Images)
ICE alleges that Roberts is in the country illegally from Guyana. They say he is not legally permitted to work in the United States and had a final order of removal from a judge issued in May 2024.
Roberts was arrested after allegedly driving away from law enforcement. He later abandoned his car in the woods, and Iowa State Patrol ended up finding him, according to a press release.
“This suspect was arrested in possession of a loaded weapon in a vehicle provided by Des Moines Public Schools after fleeing federal law enforcement,” ICE ERO St. Paul Field Office Director Sam Olson said in a statement.
“This should be a wake-up call for our communities to the great work that our officers are doing every day to remove public safety threats,” Olson continued. “How this illegal alien was hired without work authorization, a final order of removal and a prior weapons charge is beyond comprehension and should alarm the parents of that school district.”
Ian Roberts, head of Des Moines Public Schools, was arrested by immigration authorities on Friday after a brief chase, Roberts was living in the United States illegally, authorities said. (Getty Images; ICE)
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The district said Roberts had previously done an I-9 to prove legal status, but that it was conducted by a third-party group and that it did not know about an order of removal, according to The Associated Press.
Roberts came to the United States with a student visa in 1999 and had charges for weapon possession in 2020, according to ICE.
