Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts was arrested this week after fleeing ICE officers and abandoning a school-subsidized car with an illegal handgun inside. Roberts has a criminal record and a long-standing order of removal from the country. The case has become a flashpoint over immigration policies with protesters demanding his release and Democratic politicians denouncing his arrest as evidence of a fascist regime. The controversy is also spilling over into the Senate race, as the district board is headed by Board Chair Jackie Norris, a former Chief of Staff to Michelle Obama and a current Democratic candidate for the United States Senate. Norris called for Iowans to rally around Roberts with “radical empathy.”
The DHS statement says Roberts entered the United States on a student visa in 1999. Roberts had a “final order of removal” in May 2024 for the deportation.
The District maintains that a third-party comprehensive background check was conducted on Roberts, and he was required to verify employment eligibility for all employees. If that is the case, Roberts may have lied on school forms about his eligibility. The District says that “Dr. Roberts completed the I-9 employment eligibility verification form and submitted the required documentation.”
His hiring by the Des Moines School District was conducted in secret, and there are conflicting reports on whether some in the district may have been aware of his illegal status. The District denies that allegation, but did acknowledge that they were aware of a prior gun charge related to a hunting rifle.
When ICE and Iowa State police moved to arrest him, Roberts sped off. He was later found hiding in high grass, and his car contained a loaded handgun, a large amount of cash, and a hunting knife.
Associate Superintendent Matt Smith will serve as interim superintendent and quoted Roberts as a guide on how they would move forward. Smith expressed how “devastated” the district is over the arrest, but “In the words of Dr. Roberts, ‘if you paddle together, you will survive the tide. If you paddle alone, you will likely drown.’ As we learn more, we chose to paddle together.”
Paddling together does not seem the case in the public statements and could become more difficult if the federal government pursues the district for the hiring of an undocumented person.
Hundreds of protesters gathered to denounce ICE and demand the return of Roberts. Politicians and protesters brushed aside the illegal gun in his car and his flight from law enforcement. That includes a possible charge from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives over the firearm found in his car.
It also appears that Roberts may have violated the district policies barring weapons, which state that “weapons are prohibited on school grounds or at a school-sponsored or school-related activity.”
In its statement Friday evening, the Des Moines district said a third-party comprehensive background check had been conducted on Roberts and he would have been required to verify employment eligibility for all employees.
In a post on Facebook, Iowa Rep. Larry McBurney, D-Des Moines, said he was “furious” about Roberts’ arrest: “This is not only unacceptable, it is an outright disgrace.” He added:
“I hold President Trump and Iowa’s delegation — Congressman Zach Nunn, Senator Chuck Grassley, and Senator Joni Ernst — directly responsible for this action. Their silence or complicity will not go unnoticed. If they have any shred of leadership, they must intervene immediately.”
Mazie Stilwell, executive director of Progress Iowa, joined McBurney in the expression of outrage:
“No Iowan is safe. We’re living under a fascist regime because Nunn, Miller-Meeks, Hinson, and every single Iowa Member of Congress has been in lockstep with the MAGA administration that is terrorizing our communities. President Trump is willing to use political power against anyone who disagrees with him.”
Roberts, 52, claims a Bachelor of Science degree from Coppin State University in Baltimore and received his doctorate in Urban Educational Leadership and a Master’s degree in Education from St. John’s University in Queens, New York City. He was previously superintendent in the Millcreek Township School District, which covers suburban areas outside Erie, Pennsylvania.
That means that he filled out this paperwork previously and either revealed his undocumented status or lied.
He also worked as the superintendent of the St. Louis Public Schools High School Network, as well as a chief schools officer, superintendent of secondary schools, principal, and senior vice president of a charter management organization in Baltimore, the South Bronx, and Washington, D.C.
As Des Moines’ 15th superintendent, he received a base salary of $270,000 annually as part of his two-year contract. It also includes a payment to a “tax-sheltered annuity” of 14% of his annual salary, as well as a $600 monthly car allowance and reimbursement for “all in-district related travel.”
The question is how the federal government will respond to these multiple school districts hiring Roberts. It is unlawful to hire someone with an illegal status under immigration laws.
DHS classifies an employer as “knowingly” hiring an “unauthorized alien” if, after November 6, 1985, the employer “enters into, renegotiates, or extends a contract or subcontract to obtain the labor of an alien you know is not authorized to work in the United States.” Under Section 11.8, ICE allows for a “good faith” defense when determining if an employer knew the illegal immigration status of an employee.
The government can seek injunctive relief against employers who fail to properly vet their workers.
This is actually routine. The One-Party Democrat regimes turned public schools (and colleges as much as they could) into political operations long ago. See the case of Marva Collins who started Westside Prep on a shoestring after fleeing Jim Crow south to find Chicago Publics were even worse as they sabotaged human potential. She raised “inner city” youths to such a high standard “60 Minutes” ran to her skirts to do a story about black high achievers to throw back at the Hernstein-Murray “Bell Curve” book. This was in the 80s. Marva is gone so is Westside. The System won. BTW it was Barack Obama who got $700K to “study” how to improve Chicago schools the teamed up with Bomb-Throwing Billy Ayers who really does want to “tear it all down”. Ask AI about it nobody could ever find where the money went. This kind of rot is endemic if you dare see this: https://www.unz.com/jtaylor/the-full-story-of-the-killing-of-iryna-zarutska/
Apparently he is also registered to vote.
Could be an accident with motor-voter laws, but it will be interesting to see if he actually voted.
This entire story is hard to fathom. There is something seriously wrong going on.
No accident. In order to sign up for voting you have to check the box. Willfully. One you check the box, you made the decision. No “oopsie” defense will fly here, if Pam Bondi decides to throw the book at him.
I’m confused
The mug shot that JT posted looks like Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
wait a minute…I know this story must be important, but I am truly puzzled. Michelle Obama had a chief of staff? why? can someone, anyone please explain to me how an unelected spouse of a president is issued a chief of staff?
bueller?
this entire thing is just ridiculous….utterly and completely stupid.
God Bless America
F amerika
If you hate America then why don’t you leave?
Exactly. Why?
Why? Because their job of creating division and anarchy within our country is still not complete. See General Flynn’s interview with Epoch Times, he explains how and why the Chicom 100 year plan quite well.
So isn’t knowingly assisting an illegal immigrant in their crimes against a number of federal immigration laws? So why isn’t the DOJ/CBP/ICE pursuing the people that knowingly assisted this fraud. Over $300K in salary and perks probably equivalent to another $60k for a freaking department of education employee. Typical Obama Taxpayer funded fraud!
Levin’s Démocrates Hate America revealed again.
Dang, but this guy seems to have a weird history:
https://x.com/LauraPowellEsq/status/1971836202174276085?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1971836202174276085%7Ctwgr%5E7ab58260411ea1445e182be732114482f48c96c6%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitchy.com%2Fsamj%2F2025%2F09%2F28%2Fian-roberts-thread-laura-powell-n2419632
floyd pedo
Rabble:
so, the last cash influx from the underground USAID fell through, did it?
I am disappointed that anyone who was so well connected and apparently academically bright did not take the self-deportation route and come back legally. As for the Des Moines school district, I doubt that Dr. Roberts’ talents are irreplaceable. Upon assuming the position of superintendent he is quoted as saying, “If there’s one sort of desire that I have, is that just my presence and the presence of other individuals who share this identity, and the impact we’re going to have on students? It’s incredibly important for that to be in place.” From this statement, it seems that Dr. Roberts has a pretty high regard for the motivational power of his own presence – at least for those individuals who share his identity, presumably illegal immigrants from Guyana of which there must have been thousands in Des Moines for this to be significant. I would hope that the Des Moines school board will choose a superintendent that focuses less on the magic power of their presence and more on the quality of the curriculum and teaching staff.
An amazing grift of a criminal visa overstay – aka ILLEGAL ALIEN. There is a great expose on twitchy where this perps lies on resumes , birthdates , jobs etc is all exposed. Roberts is the quintessential lying snake in the grass that must be sent packing from whence he came !.
I’m just wondering how he managed to survive any kind of background check. Presumably the school district had the resources to do this properly. Maybe they didn’t want to? Lots of questions here.
This is an amazing thread that proves there is no way the school board could not have been aware of any of this if they did any minimal amount of due diligence
https://twitchy.com/samj/2025/09/28/ian-roberts-thread-laura-powell-n2419632
*. Scary indeed. Perhaps he’s schizo or has FAS.
Just scary. I’m so sorry and sad for everyone.
Think of the poor people having to work with him because they needed a job. Scary guy
“Raskin: Trump Running a ‘Regime of Vengeance and Retribution”
– Breitbart
_____________
Wait! Vengeance and retribution for what, Comrade Raskin?
You don’t suppose democrats have run a regime of vengeance and retribution for, oh, say, eight or nine years now, do you?
He lied about chemotherapy!
No one is above the law
I’ll believe that when they perp walk Barrack Hussein Obama and Hillary Clinton…
I would urge people to see General Flynn’s latest Epoch Times interview snd also Colonel McGregor’s latest interview on the EU and NATO.
I’m skeptical of ICE’s claims. We should remember that ICE and DHS has lied to judges, and the public.
Turley’s article is chock full of employment information on the alleged suspect and it reads like a normal work history of a superintendent. If multiple background checks and thorough reviews have been conducted and none have shown any problems with immigration or other issues how can we be sure ICE or DHS isn’t lying?
I suspect, Just a suspicion, that either he had his visa revoked in secret as it has been the case lately, he’s actually a naturalized citizen, or a green card holder. If the previous school districts background checks didn’t find anything wrong with his immigration status (he claimed to be a U.S. citizen on forms) how did they find out he was employed at the school district? Because the background checks would be showing he has paperwork proving he is a citizen, SS NO. birth certificate etc. Something is off and it does not seem as clear cut as the Professor is making it out ot be. ICE and DHS can legally lie to the public and even judges apparently.
Deportation order in 2024, under Biden. Did he not inform his employer if this obvious change in status?
“how can we be sure ICE or DHS isn’t lying?”
Because just as has been proven with you, the left has been proven to lie.
Whata a pack of pathetic lies. The final deportation order was handed down by the Biden administration you progressive numbskull.
Get the blinders off.He was arrested after flight and had a unregistered Glock in his possession
OT
There is concern about jury nullification in the Comey trial. It is almost expected.
I am equally concerned about jury intimidation.
The Left appears not to scruple about using it.
The DOJ must be alert to this risk if it is serious.
I think it was in play in the Chauvin trial for Floyd’s death, for example.
The jury passed through angry mobs to a fortress courthouse. They were not sequestered. Reporters/activists followed them home. At least one juror was a BLM supporter according to reports. Any verdict not acceptable to the mob would bring mobs to their homes.
The judge and the appellate courts failed our judicial system and left a stain of fear, bias and cowardice that will likely grow.
How likely will it be for intimidation to occur in the Comey trial?
The Comey case is going nowhere, but not because of jury nullification or intimidation.
This case is doomed by the total incompetence of newly installed US Attorney Lindsey Halligan, one of Trump’s personal lawyers who is only 36 years old and who has only ever practiced insurance law, and has never litigated a criminal case.
She is handling the case personally because none of the career line attorneys are willing to participate. They had already prepared a memo for the previous, now fired US Attorney, saying there was no reasonable chance of conviction.
She has already perjured herself in front of Magistrate Judge Vaala, to whom the indictment was submitted.
The case against James Comey should have been straightforward on paper. Yet when the indictment was delivered to U.S. Magistrate Judge Lindsey Vaala, the documents themselves turned into a scandal. There were two. Same docket number. Same signature from the grand jury foreperson. But they did not match. One contained a charge the grand jury had explicitly thrown out. The other did not.
Vaala asked the obvious: what was she looking at? Halligan’s answer was as confused as the paperwork. She insisted she had never seen one of the indictments. The judge pointed out it bore her own signature. Halligan stammered, hedged, and admitted she had signed “a different one.” The courtroom transcript reads like comedy sketch.
Here is the exchange:
Judge Vaala: So this has never happened before. I’ve been handed two documents that are in the Mr. Comey case that are inconsistent with one another. There seems to be a discrepancy. They’re both signed by the (grand jury) foreperson. The one that says it’s a failure to concur in an indictment, it doesn’t say with respect to one count. It looks like they failed to concur across all three counts, so I’m a little confused as to why I was handed two things with the same case number that are inconsistent.
US Attorney Halligan: So I only reviewed the one with the two counts that our office redrafted when we found out about the two — two counts that were true billed, and I signed that one. I did not see the other one. I don’t know where that came from.
Vaala: You didn’t see it?
Halligan: I did not see that one.
Vaala: So your office didn’t prepare the indictment that they —
Halligan: “No, no, no — I — no, I prepared three counts. I only signed the one — the two-count indictment. I don’t know which one with three counts you have in your hands.”
Vaala: Okay. It has your signature on it.
Halligan: Okay. Well.
So Halligan perjured herself in open court by denying that she had ever seen or signed a document which clearly bore her signature.
This case will be a complete circus. I can’t wait.
Get your popcorn ready.
Interesting. I don’t think confusion or misapprehension such as you describe constitutes perjury.
But, early days. Cases evolve and can contain surprises. The fundamental issue seems fairly straightforward–either he deliberately lied under oath or he did not.
The uncertainties seem to grow from whether a jury in a blue state will due it’s duty. Whether a leftist judge will do his duty. Whether jury intimidation in any form will be allowed. Whether some attorneys in the DOJ will do their duty.
It is evident that Trump became captain of a ship in mutiny and his loyal officers assigned to various great stations on the ship are also dealing with mutinous crews.
They, the crews, have been foolishly open about how they behaved during his first term and have been scarcely shy about it this term.
Any sign of mutiny should be punished by the bureaucratic yardarm…to the sidewalk with your possessions in a box.
Clearly incompetent but not perjury. Perjury requires intent to perjure.
That being said, signing a false document used to be a crime until courts started throwing out the fake election slates from the 2020 election. Now, apparently, you can sign anything and claim you didn’t know what you were doing, even if you are the head of the state GOP.
“The Comey case is going nowhere” and that’s where it is supposed to go.
Nothing has changed when it comes to the Democrat’s and their proven allies like James Comey.
THERE WILL BE NO CONSEQUENCES [.]
Is jury nullification the same as venue corruption?
Justice is impossible if people are going to be allowed to usurp legislative and judicial power and arbitrarily “amend” fundamental and statutory law.
Jury nullification is a crime.
We may be at war with communism for the American republic, “if you can keep it.”
Despite the possible flaws in the indictment all it really had to do was beat the statute of limitations and it has done that.
The American Founders would have never allowed this unassimilable illegal alien parasite to be admitted to become a citizen.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Naturalization Acts of 1790, 1795, 1798, 1802
United States Congress, “An act to establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization,” March 26, 1790
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That any Alien being a free white person, who shall have resided within the limits and under the jurisdiction of the United States for the term of two years, may be admitted to become a citizen thereof….
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What the —- happened?
Oh, yeah.
____________
“[We gave you] a republic, if you can keep it.”
– Ben Franklin, 1787
_______________________
You couldn’t.
This illegal is getting paid leave.
Astounding how corrupt the left is.
Not just still being paid by the leftists, but also being eulogized. After performing her best Sergent Shultz impression; Vee know nothing, NOTHING… She babbles out; “He’s a swell feller he is…” And then blathers on as if we were talking about an over loaded trash can on the playground, admonishing the rest of civilization, apparently for having laws.
“Des Moines Public Schools Placed Superintendent, an Illegal Alien Fugitive From Guyana, on PAID LEAVE — Board Chair Begs Public to “Cool Down the Rhetoric”: “Enough with the Name Calling… We are Talking About Human Being”
–by Jim Hᴏft, Sep. 28, 2025 3:00 pm
Excerpts:
“The scandal rocking Des Moines, Iowa, Public Schools has taken an even darker turn after revelations that Superintendent Dr. Ian Andre Roberts, an illegal alien fugitive from Guyana with a deportation order, was placed on paid leave following his dramatic arrest by ICE agents.”
“Board Chair Jackie Norris issued a lengthy statement attempting to defend the district’s hiring process. She insisted Roberts had passed all required checks and claimed the district had no knowledge of his immigration status or deportation order.”
“Norris said Roberts “affirmed he was a U.S. citizen” on employment paperwork and emphasized that the Iowa Department of Education had issued his superintendent license without incident.”
“She placed blame on the outside firm, JG Consulting, and the third-party company it contracted, which she said failed to uncover any red flags.”
“Norris scolded the community to “cool down the rhetoric”:
Now there’s Jimmy Kimmel’s replacement!
——————————————–
–Oddball
“Take it easy Big Joe, some of these people got sensitive feelings.”
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/09/des-moines-public-schools-placed-superintendent-illegal-alien/
Pam Bondi can make a nice case out of this.
1. Gun-Free School Zone Act violation charge for loaded gun in school owned car.
2. Possession of a gun by an illegal alien. Two counts. One for previous Pennsylvania case, where is pleaded guilty. One for recent school car case when he fled.
3. Fraud by DMPS’ contractor who did the citizenship background check. Guess what? Kim Cockerham is a DEI hire herself: https://bakereubanks.com/our-team/ There is no way Kim missed that.
4. Sue Roberts to recover money paid to him. Entire contract was a fraud on his part all along.
What better teacher to help fill demand for crime now that Trump is on the case!
Sometimes the jokes write themselves!
https://www.alternet.org/media-library/u-s-president-donald-trump-gestures-during-the-white-house-faith-office-luncheon-at-the-white-house-in-washington-d-c-u-s.jpg?id=61268123&width=1245&height=700&quality=50&coordinates=0%2C154%2C0%2C154