The Des Moines Schools Superintendent
Undocumented immigrants and our economy need problem solvers, not ICE
This is an “on the one hand” and “on the other hand” story about the now-former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts. Everyone seemed happy. Then ICE showed up to arrest him. People were shocked. Kids protested. A demonstration took place at the Iowa State Capitol in support of him.
Then the story turned ugly. Apparently, Roberts was undocumented and knew it. He was also prepared to get away if the worst thing happened and ICE came to get him, so he had $3000 in cash, a gun, and a knife on him as he tried to escape. ICE caught him.
Now, the school board is busy blaming the firm that handled the initial vetting and planning to sue. Jackie Norris, the school board chair, said on Friday, “Ian Roberts should have never been presented as a finalist, and if we knew what we know now, he would never have been hired.”
Well, yes, hindsight is foresight.
But, but, but. The problem runs much deeper than Ian Roberts’ complicated story and a failed vetting. Things like this are happening all over our country because once again, the US Congress has failed to be the problem-solver it is supposed to be.
The last time we attempted to address a significant problem was in the fall of 2024, before the election. The issue was how immigrants come to the country looking for work, and we — the USA — have plenty of entry-level, can-do jobs that more established Americans refuse to take or cannot do; we also have openings for talented people — openings we find difficult to fill.
What we lack is an effective and timely process to help these immigrants become documented.
What is missing are modern, updated laws that allow these essential workers to become documented. Now, we even promise them that if they file and pay taxes every year, it will help them eventually become documented and eventually become citizens.
Last year, Senator James Lankford (R-OK) worked diligently to address the issue. He assembled a bipartisan coalition to support his bill and nearly succeeded. The bill was the most conservative border legislation in decades. Lankford and other Senators from both parties spent months crafting the compromise.
But oh, OH! Then Trump called. He claimed the bill was unnecessary, saying Biden already had the power to fix the border situation (which Biden did not have), and that passing the bill would hurt Trump’s election.
Now we see how vital that bill was. We still need it. Our workers need it. Our economy depends on these workers.
Instead, we have ICE going after hardworking people. Des Moines isn’t the only place. Look at Chicago as the latest example, where, with the president’s approval, ICE surrounded an apartment building, rappelled down ropes from helicopters, and broke down every door in the building, grabbing people in their night clothes, making unlawful arrests, zip-tying young children’s hands, and in some cases, dragging away naked kids who had slept without clothes overnight in hot apartments.
Would Ian Roberts have been saved by the bill? Likely not if he broke the law, but he’s not convicted yet, so let’s not make assumptions.
Of course, Iowa’s governor was quick to blame Roberts and the school board this time. But last time, when Governor Kim Reynolds faced an immigration issue, she engaged in a cover-up to protect a large packing plant that had deliberately hired an underage teen.
The teenager should not have been assigned to clean dangerous heavy equipment. As I recall, the teen almost lost his arm, but what did Republican Governor Kim Reynolds do but go to the Republican legislature, and ask them to lower the age at which kids can work. They did.
So let us remember. Pointing fingers is easy, but undocumented immigrants and how our economy needs them are a problem that ICE is not solving. Nor is President Trump or Governor Reynolds.