Democrat School Board Chair Ends Senate Campaign After Illegal Migrant’s Arrest

A Democratic Senate candidate ended her campaign Thursday as her school board continues to deal with the fallout of a superintendent’s arrest by immigration authorities.

Jackie Norris, who currently leads the Des Moines public school board, suspended her campaign for the Democratic nomination of Iowa’s open U.S. Senate seat, according to an announcement she made on social media. The decision follows national uproar over Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) arrest of an illegal migrant who somehow managed to be employed as a superintendent in the school district. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Half Of Those Arrested In Elaborate Charity Bin Theft Ring Are Illegal Migrants)

“After thoughtful consideration, I have decided that I will no longer be a candidate for the U.S. Senate in the Democratic primary,” Norris announced via an online announcement.

“The recent Des Moines public school superintendent crisis demanded my full attention as Board Chair and, overnight, put the school board, our community, and me personally in the crosshairs of vicious and coordinated attacks,” Norris continued. “To that end, it’s clear I need to focus on the work at hand: leading the board through this transition, working to support the passage of the Reimagining Education bond, and fully participating in ongoing investigations to get to the answers our community deserves.”

ICE agents arrested Ian Andre Roberts, a Guyanese national living unlawfully in the country, during an operation in September. Roberts was allegedly in possession of a loaded handgun, a fixed blade hunting knife and $3,000 in cash at the time of his apprehension.

Concerns grew over how Roberts — who has a lengthy criminal rap sheet — was able to score employment as the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, a position that paid six figures and gave him authority over children.

Des Moines Public Schools hired the Guyanese illegal migrant in 2023 despite knowing he lied about having a doctoral degree in Urban Educational Leadership from Morgan State University, the school board admitted earlier in October. The beleaguered school district has since filed a lawsuit against the consulting firm it hired to vet employee candidates.

“How this illegal alien was hired without work authorization, a final order of removal, and a prior weapons charge is beyond comprehension and should alarm the parents of that school district,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations St. Paul Field Office Director Sam Olson said at the time of Roberts’ arrest.

Voting registration records also revealed that Roberts was registered to vote as a Democrat in Maryland, prompting Republicans in the state to express concerns over “gaping loopholes” in the voting system. A media investigation additionally discovered that Roberts’ side hustle as a consultant profited off numerous school boards’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.

The 2026 election in Iowa will decide who replaces two-term GOP Sen. Joni Ernst, who declared in September that she would not be seeking re-election.

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