In yet another shocking example of how illegal immigration can impact American politics and public safety, federal authorities have revealed that Ian Andre Roberts, an illegal alien from Guyana, not only worked for years as the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools in Iowa but was also registered to vote as an active Democrat in Maryland.
Roberts, who overstayed a student visa after entering the U.S. in 1999, had been living in America for more than two decades without legal status. Despite his immigration violations and a weapons charge on his record, he managed to secure a leadership role in the Iowa school system, a position typically reserved for U.S. citizens. It wasn’t until late September 2025 that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested him.
According to ICE, Roberts was apprehended while in possession of a loaded handgun, a fixed-blade hunting knife, and $3,000 in cash as he tried to evade law enforcement. “ICE Des Moines arrested Ian Andre Roberts, a criminal illegal alien from Guyana in possession of a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash and a fixed blade hunting knife. At the time of his arrest, Roberts was working as the Superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools despite being an illegal alien with a final order of removal and no work authorization,” the agency stated.
Further details released by ICE revealed that Roberts had prior weapon possession charges from February 2020 and had been issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge in May 2024. Yet, despite these serious issues, he remained in a high-level administrative role influencing the education of American children—raising serious questions about the hiring practices of the school system and the enforcement of immigration law.
The scandal deepened when Fox News Digital reported that Roberts was listed as an active Democrat voter in the state of Maryland. According to the Maryland State Board of Elections website, he was able to vote in federal, state, and local elections despite not having lived in Maryland for at least a decade and lacking U.S. citizenship.
Republican Delegate Matt Morgan, chair of the Maryland House Freedom Caucus, weighed in on the alarming voter registration issue. “If illegal aliens are not allowed to vote, why would they be on the voter rolls in the first place? And how would that enhance immigration enforcement? I don’t know, but that’s the excuse that they wrote to the DOJ,” Morgan said.
Meanwhile, Des Moines School Board Chair Jackie Norris addressed the revocation of Roberts’ educational license following his arrest, noting, “We were notified that the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners revoked Doctor Roberts’ license to practice as a superintendent in the state of Iowa. Without such a license, Doctor Roberts is not in compliance with his contract.” Norris, however, declined to explain why an illegal alien with a criminal record was hired in the first place to oversee the city’s schools.
The case of Ian Andre Roberts exposes a disturbing overlap between lax immigration enforcement and electoral integrity, demonstrating how illegal aliens can exploit weaknesses in both systems while occupying positions of authority. For conservatives, the scandal underscores the need for stricter immigration enforcement, tighter voter roll verification, and accountability for institutions that put non-citizens in positions of power over Americans.
