Illegal alien arrested by ICE found registered as active Democrat voter in blue state

After an illegal alien, Ian Andre Roberts, the superintendent of the Des Moines Public Schools in Iowa, was arrested by ICE, Republicans blew the whistle on the fact that he was a registered active Democrat voter in the state of Maryland.

According to the official website for the Maryland State Board of Elections, Roberts, who overstayed a student visa from 1999, has an active voter status and is registered as a Democrat in Maryland. The development was first reported on by columnist Dustin Grage.

Republican state Delegate Matt Morgan, who is chair of the Maryland House Freedom Caucus, told Fox News Digital that Roberts’ registration means that he is eligible to vote in all federal, state and local elections despite not being a U.S. citizen, and also despite likely not having lived in Maryland for the past decade.

Morgan explained that there is nothing in Maryland law allowing for non-citizens to be registered to vote in federal or state elections even if Roberts were still a legal resident.

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Now, the House Freedom Caucus is demanding answers from the Maryland State Board of Elections about “gaping holes” in the state’s election integrity systems.

In a letter sent to the elections board on Monday, the Freedom Caucus also demanded answers on why the board has been “obstructing a valid request by the Department of Justice to ensure compliance with federal election laws, citing immigration enforcement as a primary concern.

Morgan pointed to a letter the elections board sent to the Justice Department in August in which State Administrator of Elections Jared DeMarinis expressed concern that if the board gave over voter information to the federal government that data would be used for “used for enforcement of immigration laws against Maryland residents.”  

Commenting on the letter, Morgan asked, “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.”

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“It’s ridiculous,” he went on, adding that “everyone reasonable wants a safe and secure election.”

Before his arrest by ICE, Roberts headed the Des Moines Public Schools, the largest school district in the state, despite not being legally authorized to work in the U.S. after his employment authorization card expired in 2020, according to authorities.

He was taken into custody on a fugitive warrant last week. ICE agents arrested Roberts after he attempted to flee and was found hiding in brush. The vehicle Roberts was driving was found with $3,000 in cash, a fixed-blade hunting knife, and a loaded Glock 19 firearm, ICE said.

Roberts also had illegal weapons possession charges from 2020 and was given a final order of removal in 2024.

The state of Iowa revoked Roberts’ education license on Sunday, triggering the Des Moines School Board to place him on unpaid leave.

“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,” said Jackie Norris, chair of the school board.

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Morgan said that though Roberts’ case is baffling, he fears he may just be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to illegal aliens registered to vote in Maryland.

“We have no idea how widespread this is. We hear rumors, but we have no idea,” he said.

“This is uncharted territory,” he added.

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.