When news broke last week that Des Moines Public Schools superintendent Ian Andre Roberts had been arrested by federal immigration agents, it raised eyebrows across the country.
Roberts wasn’t just running Iowa’s largest school district. He was living in the U.S. illegally, under a deportation order, and somehow still managed to hold one of the most important education jobs in the state.
IT GETS WORSE
Ian Roberts, an ILLEGAL ALIEN who was working as the Superintendent for Des Moines Public Schools, was issued a driver’s license, registered to vote, and had a criminal record.
How tf did this happen?!pic.twitter.com/tY0D6RCcXb
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 30, 2025
ICE agents arrested Roberts on September 26 during a traffic stop. Inside his car they found a loaded Glock handgun, a hunting knife, and about $3,000 in cash.
That’s troubling enough, but the story only gets worse from there.
A History of Red Flags
Roberts first came to the U.S. from Guyana on a student visa back in 1999.
He overstayed, ignored a deportation order issued in May 2024, and still climbed the ladder of public education.
In 2023, he became superintendent in Des Moines, responsible for 31,000 students.
His arrest also exposed lies on his résumé. Roberts claimed to have earned a doctorate from Morgan State University. The school later confirmed he never completed the degree.
That means school officials in Iowa didn’t bother to check his credentials – or didn’t care. Either way, parents have every right to be angry.
And then there’s the voting issue.
Maryland state records show Roberts was registered as a Democrat voter there since 2012, despite not being a U.S. citizen.
This shines a spotlight on a problem Democrats have long dismissed as a “myth”: non-citizens on voter rolls.
Nevada’s Own Election Integrity Problems
Some might brush this off as an Iowa problem, but Nevadans would know better. Our state has been in the middle of election integrity debates for years.
In 2022, state lawmakers pushed through permanent universal mail-in voting, despite warnings from conservatives that it could weaken safeguards.
Just last year, Nevada election officials confirmed they had to remove non-citizens from voter rolls after errors were discovered through DMV record matches.
It wasn’t thousands of cases, but even a handful is too many when it comes to protecting our elections.
The Roberts case shows how sloppy systems in one state can open the door for abuse. Imagine what that looks like in a swing state like Nevada where races are often decided by razor-thin margins.
The Case for Voter ID and Stronger Laws
Conservatives across the country are pointing to this case as proof that stronger laws are needed.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, now being championed in Congress, would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
Supporters argue it’s just common sense. If you need an ID to board a plane or buy certain medicines, why shouldn’t you need one to vote?
They also argue that Roberts’ ability to run a public school system while under a deportation order shows the Biden administration has dropped the ball on immigration enforcement.
President Trump, on the other hand, has doubled down on his promise to tighten the system and carry out mass deportations of people who defy the law.
Critics Call This Case ‘Rare’
Democrats and left-leaning groups argue cases like Roberts’ are rare and don’t justify sweeping reforms.
They say most election errors are clerical, not criminal. They also warn that stricter voter ID rules could make it harder for some legal Americans to vote.
But that doesn’t erase the fact that Roberts was on the rolls illegally – and had been for more than a decade.
Everyone Loses When the System Fails
For everyday Nevadans, this isn’t about partisan talking points. It’s about trust.
Parents want to know the person running their child’s school is qualified and legal.
Voters want to know their ballot isn’t being canceled out by someone who has no right to cast one.
Taxpayers want to know background checks actually mean something.
Nevada has seen the fallout of weak election safeguards and loose oversight. America is strongest when the law applies to everyone, and Nevadans should demand nothing less in both our schools and our elections.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
