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Des Moines Public School Board (DMPS) Chair Jackie Norris ended her bid for Iowa’s open U.S. Senate seat Thursday after facing backlash for urging “radical empathy” toward former superintendent and illegal immigrant Ian Andre Roberts.
Norris, a Democrat who previously served as first lady Michelle Obama’s chief of staff, said the “superintendent crisis” demanded her full attention as board chair and put her “in the crosshairs of vicious and coordinated attacks.”
“Those realities took time and oxygen away from the work I set out to do: stand up for our kids and families — and the backbone of our communities, their educators and caregivers,” Norris wrote in a statement.
Jackie Norris worked as Michelle Obama’s chief of staff in the White House. (Getty Images)
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Roberts, the former superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district, has an extensive criminal history and was living and working in the U.S. illegally.
He submitted his resignation Sept. 30, after his Sept. 26 arrest by immigration authorities, which involved a short car chase.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said agents allegedly found a gun, hunting knife and $3,000 in cash in his car.
Former Des Moines Public Schools District Superintendent Ian Roberts, right, was arrested last month after fleeing from federal immigration agents. (Des Moines Independent Community School District; Polk County Sheriff)
DES MOINES PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD ACCEPTS SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIGNATION AFTER ICE ARREST
Federal officials say Roberts, who illegally returned to the U.S. from Guyana in 1999 after a theft and drug arrest, was convicted in 2012 of reckless driving, unsafe operation and speeding in Maryland.
In 2020, he was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and fourth-degree weapon charges.
Despite overstaying visas on multiple occasions and being ordered deported in 2004 and 2024, he holds active voter status and is a registered Democrat in Maryland.
Roberts is charged with being an illegal alien in possession of firearms, according to authorities.
Authorities said a handgun was found in a vehicle used by Ian Roberts to flee from pursuing ICE agents. (ICE)
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The board said when Roberts was hired in July 2023, they knew he did not graduate from Morgan State University, as he claimed in his resume.
It is unclear if they knew about his illegal immigration status or criminal record.
Norris’ opponent, Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, called for her resignation and exit from the Senate race, claiming she “can’t even run the bare minimum of hiring standards at the Des Moines Public Schools.”
In Norris’ announcement ending her campaign, she said the school board “stepped up and are bringing accountability—leading with grace, transparency, and resolve.”
“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 the answers our community deserves,” Norris wrote. “I leave this race with my head high, and I’ll continue serving my community and doing everything I can to help Democrats win this seat.”
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The school board did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Norris’ office declined further comment.
Fox News Digital’s Stephanie Samsel and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
