DES MOINES, Iowa — On Monday, Des Moines Public Schools confirmed that it does not utilize E-Verify after Senator Chuck Grassley announced that his office learned that the district wasn’t enrolled in the system when it hired now former Superintendent Ian Roberts and scrutinized the district on social media.

Roberts, who is accused of being in the country illegally, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on September 26. Officials say Roberts fled from officers before being taken into custody and was found with a loaded handgun, a fixed-blade knife, and $3,000 in cash in his possession.

On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security released more information about Roberts’ immigration history, stating that he had been granted a student visa in 1999 that later expired in 2004. After the expiration of the student visa, DHS says that Roberts applied for permanent residence on multiple occasions and was denied each time. Roberts did have work authorization from 2018 to the end of 2020, but officials say that authorization expired in December 2020 and was not reauthorized. DHS says an immigration judge ordered a final order of removal for Roberts in May 2024.

Sen. Grassley said that he requested more information about Roberts from DHS last week. On Monday, Grassley’s office announced that they’ve been informed by DHS that no record could be found of DMPS being enrolled in E-Verify. The senator later scrutinized the district on social media for its “vetting failures.”

A DMPS spokesperson sent the following statement to WHO 13 regarding Grassley’s comments:

“While the school district does not currently use E-Verify, and it is not a requirement of Iowa employers, the information presented by the superintendent candidate on and with the I-9 form was consistent with the claim that he was a U.S. citizen. The district will continue to cooperate with and respond to state and federal officials on any issue.”

E-Verify is a free system run by DHS that compares information entered from an employee’s I-9 Form to DHS and Social Security Administration records to confirm whether an employee is eligible to work. According to the E-Verify website, the system’s use is only mandatory for federal contractors and is voluntary for others. The website says only 21 states have some form of requirement for E-Verify, but Iowa is not one of them.

According to Grassley’s office, DHS officials said that if E-Verify had been used with an expired Employment Authorization Document, the information would have been flagged.

DMPS has previously stated that a background check into Roberts was the responsibility of a third party that was hired by JG Consulting, the firm DMPS used to search for candidates for the superintendent position. The district said that no issues regarding Roberts’ legal status were found during that background check.

Last week, the board voted to pursue legal action against JG Consulting, saying the firm breached its contract and was negligent when it presented Roberts as a candidate.