Democratic Senate candidate Jackie Norris ended her campaign for Iowa’s open U.S. Senate seat Thursday over the political fallout from her school board’s hiring of an illegal immigrant with a huge criminal record as superintendent.
Norris, who chairs the Des Moines public school board, suspended her campaign after ICE arrested Superintendent Ian Andre Roberts on September 26. Roberts, an illegal immigrant from Guyana, was found in possession of a loaded handgun, a fixed-blade hunting knife, and $3,000 in cash at the time of his arrest.
“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. “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, a former chief of staff for former First Lady Michelle Obama, launched her campaign in August emphasizing her service on the Des Moines school board and past as a classroom teacher. The superintendent’s arrest thrust her into the national spotlight after she hired Roberts in 2023.
“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.
Roberts entered the United States in 1999 on a student visa and was given a final order of removal by an immigration judge in May 2024. Despite having no legal authorization to work in the U.S., Roberts was hired as superintendent for Iowa’s largest school district, a job that paid six figures.
Roberts has an extensive criminal history, according to The Department of Homeland Security. In 1996, he was charged for criminal possession of narcotics with intent to sell, criminal possession of narcotics, criminal possession of a forgery instrument and possession of a forged instrument in New York. In 2020, Roberts was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and fourth-degree weapon charges.
“Ian Andre Roberts, a criminal illegal alien with multiple weapons charges and a drug trafficking charge, should have never been able to work around children,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “When ICE officers arrested this superintendent, he was in possession of an illegal handgun, a hunting knife, and nearly $3,000 in cash.”
When ICE agents approached Roberts in his vehicle on September 26, he identified himself then sped away, jumped out of his car, and was hiding in nearby bushes where ICE officers located him with help from Iowa State Patrol officers. During a search of his home, law enforcement found three additional firearms, including a loaded pistol underneath a chair cushion, a loaded rifle in a bedroom closet, and a shotgun behind a headboard.
Voting registration records revealed that Roberts was registered to vote as a Democrat in Maryland, prompting outrage from Republicans in the state “gaping loopholes” in the voting system. Roberts’ registration means he was eligible to vote in all federal, state and local elections despite not being a U.S. citizen.
An investigation discovered that Roberts also ran a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consulting business that was hired by numerous school boards.
Des Moines Public Schools is currently suing the search firm that assisted the district in hiring Roberts, claiming it failed to fully vet him as a finalist for superintendent.
Norris’ departure leaves a wide open Democratic primary field of candidates jockeying to fill Sen. Joni Ernst’s seat in the upcoming 2026 election. Ernst announced in September she would not seek reelection.