As Ed noted yesterday in his Final Word, something unusual occurred in Des Moines yesterday: its superintendent of public schools was arrested by ICE in pursuance of a final deportation order issued in May 2024.
He was caught after fleeing ICE officers, carrying $3,000 cash and a loaded gun. It turns out that he had a criminal record as well, about which the School Board knew when they hired him in a secret process designed to choose the best candidate.
3. He was arrested after fleeing in his car, then on foot, with $3,000 cash. A loaded gun was found in his car.
4. Here is the board of geniuses that appointed him. Let’s meet them: pic.twitter.com/VATFwC49vZ— Paul Mauro (@PaulDMauro) September 26, 2025
Needless to say, while no vetting process is perfect, and any apparently fine, upstanding citizen might actually hide some dark secrets that escape notice until they are caught, finding out that the school superintendent was hired despite having no work authorization and a prior criminal record raises some eyebrows. Especially since the process used to hire the man was explicitly designed to be opaque to ensure that the decision process could be as intrusive as possible.
Ian Andre Roberts’ base salary of $270k comes with plenty of bennies. As per the Des Moines Register:
“The district will provide him with a payment to a “tax-sheltered annuity” of 14% of his annual salary and $600 per month for a car allowance and reimbursement for “all…— Paul Mauro (@PaulDMauro) September 26, 2025
The New York Times’ take on the story focuses on what a wonderful and well-loved man Ian Andre Roberts is, and how upset the students and parents are that he has been detained. He is salt of the earth, despite having a criminal record, and apparently having deceived everybody about his legal status and recent deportation order.
Yet the bare facts of what happened suggest that the legality of the detention is black and white, and the facts surrounding his detention are pretty damning.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said that the superintendent, Ian Roberts, who was born in Guyana, entered the United States in 1999 on a student visa and had received a deportation order from an immigration judge in May 2024. He had no work authorization, and had faced weapon possession charges several years ago, ICE officials said.
…
ICE agents approached Dr. Roberts while he was in his vehicle on Friday, and he sped off, according to a statement issued by the agency. He was later taken into custody after his vehicle was found abandoned near a wooded area, the statement said. The agency said that he had a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash and a hunting knife when he was detained.
To hear his defenders, it is as if, in a country of over 330 million people, he is the only possible savior for Des Moines public schools. To read the facts of the case, a different picture emerges. One in which a school district faced a lot of challenges, but they chose to make an in-your-face DEI hire to virtue signal.
And of course, a goal, again as per the Des Moines Register, “Roberts will face a number of challenges as the district continues to roll out programs and curricula focused on equity in education and improving student outcomes while implementing laws that impact what can be…
— Paul Mauro (@PaulDMauro) September 26, 2025
The Chair of the Des Moines School Board is Michele Obama’s former Chief of Staff and current candidate for US Senate, Jackie Norris, who will no doubt be forced to answer questions regarding why she led the charge to hire a DEI-focused illegal alien with a criminal record to be the leader of Des Moines’ schools.
And no doubt she will get shielded by Pravda propagandists who will spin a tale about what a wonderful man Roberts is, and how he, unique among all people on the continent, was the sole person capable of leading Des Moines to a brighter future. After all, Randi Weingarten is busy, and Luigii Mangione is otherwise engaged.
🚨BREAKING UPDATE: Democrats in Des Moines have come out in support of a superintendent who was arrested by ICE — a fugitive working illegally in the country, who fled from law enforcement and was found with an illegal firearm.
The reporter couldn’t even show some of the signs… https://t.co/KjTr5HjFUY pic.twitter.com/N6bck6BQiw
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) September 27, 2025
The reporter couldn’t even show some of the signs because they were filled with profanities directed at ICE — and, mind you, Democrats brought their young children to this unhinged protest.
Just like that, it seems Democrats no longer prioritize enforcing gun laws or ensuring the safety of schoolchildren.
I don’t have much of an opinion about Roberts as an individual–he may be a perfectly nice man. I admit that in many places gun laws are a bit too restrictive, so I would have to know the full story about the circumstances of his gun charges to have an opinion about how bad they are. Still, I will note that as an illegal immigrant, he was likely violating gun laws that Democrats would otherwise want rigorously enforced.
Gun laws for thee, not for me…
As far as I know, not even Democrats have taken to arguing that well-paid school superintendent jobs are ones that Americans are not willing to do, and the argument we keep hearing is that we need illegal immigrants for that very purpose.
In a statement, Sam Olson, an ICE field office director, described the employment of Dr. Roberts as “beyond comprehension,” given a judge’s order for his removal and a lack of work authorization, and as a situation that “should alarm the parents of that school district.”
As word of the detention spread on Friday, several hundred protesters gathered outside the Neal Smith Federal Building in Des Moines. At one point, a chant went up: “Free Dr. Roberts!”
School employees were shaken by the news of the superintendent’s detention, said Heather Menninga, a project assistant in the district.
“It’s been extremely rough,” she said. “We’re very worried about our superintendent and, most importantly, students and our families and even staff — just everyone in our community.”
As you can see, this is another example of “one screen, two movies.” On the one screen, many of us see a man who is legally prohibited from employment in this country, and who has broken multiple laws–unambiguously so–who was knowingly hired by a school board to shepherd the education of children. When caught, he tries to escape with cash, a gun, and a knife, and is finally detained in pursuance of a lawful and recent deportation order.
On the other screen, you have a perfectly innocent man who preaches “radical empathy” and who is loved by his community, especially Michele Obama’s former Chief of Staff, and only people with the hearts of Gestapo agents could want the law enforced.
One last comment on this thread (promise–unless things get crazier!) Jackie Norris (former Michelle Obama Chief of staff and Des Moines School Board Chair is now running for U.S. Senate in Iowa: https://t.co/29jbFry5Op
— Paul Mauro (@PaulDMauro) September 27, 2025
And don’t forget, this November, vote for Jackie Norris for US Senate, so she can bring “radical empathy” (and gun-toting illegal immigrant school superintendents!) to the entire country.
So you mean to tell me that MICHELLE OBAMA’S chief of staff hired an illegal alien with a fake degree & a criminal record to be the head of the public schools in Des Moines, Iowa? https://t.co/jWaPcaZ4Ud
— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) September 27, 2025
It’s not hard to see where this story is going: conservatives will see a ridiculous abuse of power and disregard of the law on the part of leftist virtue signalers in a Deep Blue city embracing a criminal, illegal alien; liberals will see yet another attack on children, puppies, babies, and unicorns by rednecks who want to crush the spirit of empathy.
Empathy is exemplified by hiring gun-toting illegal aliens with recent deportation orders and a propensity to flee law enforcement while carrying large quantities of cash and weapons.
We may live in the same country, but we certainly don’t live in the same universe.
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Editor’s Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives.
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