Des Moines school board chair drops Senate race over illegal immigrant hire

Des Moines Public School Board president Jackie Norris ended her bid for an open U.S. Senate seat in Iowa on Thursday after facing backlash for urging “radical compassion” toward former superintendent and illegal immigrant Ian Andre Roberts.

Norris, a Democrat who previously served as chief of staff to First Lady Michelle Obama, said the “superintendent crisis” requires her full attention as board chair and puts her “in the crosshairs of sinister and coordinated attacks.”

“These facts have taken time and oxygen away from the work I set out to do: advocating for our children and families — the backbone of our communities and their teachers and caregivers,” Norris wrote in a statement.

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Roberts, the former superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district, has an extensive criminal history and was living and working in the United States illegally.

He submitted his resignation on September 30, following his arrest by immigration authorities on September 26, which included a short car chase.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said agents found a handgun, a hunting knife and $3,000 in cash in his car.

Ian Roberts, the former superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, was arrested last month after fleeing federal immigration agents. (Des Moines Community Independent School District; Polk County Sheriff)

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Federal officials say Roberts, who illegally returned to the United States from Guyana in 1999 after being arrested on robbery and drug charges, was convicted in 2012 of reckless driving, unsafe driving and speeding in Maryland.

In 2020, he was charged with a second-degree felony count Possession of a weaponand third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and fourth-degree weapon charges.

Despite overstaying his visas on multiple occasions and being ordered deported in 2004 and 2024, he has active voter status and is a registered Democrat in Maryland.

Roberts is charged with being an illegal alien in possession of firearms, according to authorities.

Authorities said a gun was found in the car Ian Roberts used to flee pursuing ICE agents. (ice)

An Iowa school principal was arrested on ice, faces prior weapons charges, and was allegedly found with a loaded gun

The board said that when Roberts was hired in July 2023, they knew he had not graduated from Morgan State University, as he claimed on his resume.

It is unclear whether they were aware of his illegal immigrant status or his criminal record.

Norris’ opponent, Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, called for her resignation and exit from the Senate race, claiming that she “cannot even enforce minimum employment standards in Des Moines Public Schools.”

In announcing the end of her campaign, Norris said the school board “stepped up and achieved accountability — leading with grace, transparency and resolve.”

“It is clear that I need to focus on the work at hand: leading the board through this transformation, working to support the passage of the Reimagine Education Deed, and fully participating in the ongoing investigations to get the answers our community deserves,” Norris wrote. “I leave this race with my head held high, and I will continue to serve my community and do everything I can to help Democrats win this seat.”

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The school board did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Norris’ office declined to comment further.

Stephanie Samsel and Luis Casiano of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.