House Republicans probe Maryland voter rolls after illegal immigrant case

EXCLUSIVE: Maryland’s voting rolls are facing scrutiny from House Republicans after it was discovered that an illegal immigrant serving as superintendent of a large school system in Iowa was fraudulently registered to vote in Maryland, Fox News Digital has learned.

House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wisc., and Vice Chairman Laurel Lee, R-Fla., sent a letter Thursday to Maryland State Board of Elections Administrator Jared DeMarinis demanding answers regarding Ian Andre Roberts’ registration to vote in the state, even though he does not hold U.S. citizenship. The House Administration Committee oversees the operations and oversight of the House and is also responsible for reviewing proposals to change federal election law.

Roberts’ voter registration records have faced intense scrutiny from conservatives, including when a Maryland county election board in November released redacted versions of the records that obscured how Roberts answered the citizenship question.

“The Committee is concerned about the integrity and accuracy of Maryland’s citizenship verification processes, and therefore the State’s voter rolls. To assist the Committee in overseeing this matter, please provide the following information as soon as possible,” the letter said, asking the elections chief 10 questions related to the State’s voter roll verification process and the prevalence of illegal immigrants on the voter rolls.

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Former Des Moines, Iowa superintendent Ian Andre Roberts, who was detained by ICE and federally charged. (Polk County Sheriff)

The committee presses for details, asking: “Is Roberts still a registered voter in Maryland?” “Has Mr. Roberts Ever Voted in Maryland?” If so, in which election(s) did he participate? “Has Mr. Roberts ever mailed an absentee ballot?” If yes, for which election(s)? and “How does the State Board of Elections fulfill its obligations under 52 USC §20507 to conduct a general program to remove ineligible voters from the rolls?” »

Maryland is a Democratic state, with the party controlling the offices of the governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and both houses of the state legislature.

Roberts worked in Baltimore City Schools between August 2001 and June 2010, including as a teacher, resident principal and principal at various points during his career in Maryland, local media previously reported.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Roberts, a native of Guyana, in September. Roberts was working as a superintendent of the Des Moines, Iowa, public school system at the time of his arrest, sparking widespread interest and concern that an illegal immigrant held such a senior position despite his work authorization card expiring in 2020.

The arrest opened the floodgates of investigations into Roberts’ past, including the discovery of a lengthy criminal history in the United States dating back to 1996, when he was charged with criminal possession of narcotics with intent to sell them in New York.

Roberts was also found to be a registered voter in Maryland. It is illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal or state elections.

Maryland, along with five other states, was also the subject of a lawsuit filed in early December by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division for “failure to produce their statewide voter registration lists upon request,” according to the DOJ.

“The Department of Justice’s lawsuit against the Maryland Board of Elections is a stark reminder of the deep-rooted problems plaguing our voter registration system,” Republican state Delegate Matt Morgan, chairman of the Maryland Freedom Caucus, said of the role of Maryland voters to Fox Digital.

“For years, we have heard criticism that non-citizen voting ‘never happens,’ but the story of Ian Andra Roberts is compelling evidence to the contrary. These revelations highlight serious flaws that undermine public trust and the integrity of our elections. The Maryland Freedom Caucus supports the DOJ’s efforts to protect our democracy by ensuring that only citizens vote,” he continued.

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The Roberts saga intensified in November after the American Accountability Foundation filed a public records request to obtain Roberts’ voter registration documents. The Board of Elections in Prince George, Maryland, returned heavily redacted documents that obscured Roberts’ gender, whether he checked the citizenship box, his date of birth and other information.

A vote here signs ahead of the 2025 election cycle. (Mark Kauzlarich/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The conservative legal group Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections (RITE) sent the board a warning letter shortly afterward to provide unredacted versions of the documents or face a possible court battle. The county board complied in December, revealing that Roberts had fraudulently claimed he was a U.S. citizen on the documents.

“When election officials attempt to hide eligibility records, the public loses the ability to verify that the law is being followed,” Justin Riemer, CEO and president of Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections, said in a December press release about the unredacted version of the records. “Once the documents were produced, we saw how weak Maryland’s protections are. Unfortunately, this is all too common across the country and federal laws do little to prevent non-citizens from registering to vote.”

The Maryland State Board of Elections previously said Roberts did not vote in the election.

“Records released by the Maryland State Board of Elections confirm that a non-citizen has successfully registered to vote in Maryland on at least two occasions,” Steil and Lee continued in the letter. “The situation raises continuing concerns that states are not verifying the citizenship of registrants. Oversight of federal elections is essential to inform potential legislative reforms and safeguard the integrity of federal elections. The Committee therefore requests information from the Maryland State Board of Elections.”

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The letter also took issue with the numerous redactions of Roberts’ documents when they were first published.

“Mr. Roberts repeatedly claimed U.S. citizenship and remained registered to vote in Maryland for years, although he left the state more than a decade ago,” they wrote. “The American Accountability Foundation has filed a public records request for Mr. Roberts’ voter registration application. The original release of the documents contained numerous intentional redactions, including Mr. Roberts’ response to the citizenship question. The subsequent release of Mr. Roberts’ application still redacts crucial information such as the source of his voter registration application.”

Wisconsin Republican Rep. Bryan Steil is leading the charge in demanding answers from the Maryland Board of Elections regarding illegal immigrants holding electorate positions. (Greg Nash/Pool via Reuters)

Committee leaders argued that “recurring redactions suggest that Maryland is either covering up an illegal alien’s accidental voter registration or withholding information about its failure to verify citizenship.”

The county board of elections told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that “the Prince George’s County Board of Elections adheres to all legal and statutory requirements of federal and state election laws, as well as the processes and requirements set forth in the Maryland Code of Regulations (COMAR.).”

“After a review of the (Maryland Public Information Act) request by legal counsel and after consultation with the Maryland State Board of Elections, taking into account the statutory laws of the NVRA as well as accompanying federal cases dealing with the subject of voter information disclosures from the Board of Elections, it was determined that some of the information in question regarding Mr. Robers could not be redacted. The situation regarding the previously redacted information was immediately rectified,” it said. election administrator Wendy Honesty-Bey in an email to Fox News. Digital.

Republicans say illegal immigrant Ian Andre Roberts being registered to vote in Maryland raises serious concerns about the state’s voting processes. (Keith Srakocic/AP Photo and ICE)

Roberts was taken into the custody of the U.S. Marshall and will face prosecution, the Department of Homeland Security announced in October.

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Roberts’ arrest itself was also mired in controversy. He attempted to flee law enforcement, according to the Department of Homeland Security, and was found to be in possession of $3,000 in cash, a Glock 9mm pistol and a hunting knife at the time of his arrest.

Roberts was criminally charged Oct. 2 with being an illegal alien in possession of firearms, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

These charges are the latest in a long list of criminal records dating back to 1996.

Roberts first came to the United States in 1994, according to the Department of Homeland Security, and faced a charge of third-degree unauthorized use of a vehicle in Queens, New York, in 1998, which was later dropped, a 2012 conviction for reckless driving in Maryland, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and other weapons charges in 2020, and a conviction in 2022 for illegal possession of a loaded firearm in Pennsylvania.

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THE Iowa The Board of Educational Examiners revoked Roberts’ study permit after his arrest, and he is no longer authorized to serve as a superintendent in the state. The district is now suing the executive search firm that helped hire Roberts for breach of contract, negligent misrepresentation, general negligence and also seeking damages, Fox Digital previously reported.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Roberts’ attorney for any updates on the case.

“We are reviewing all allegations at this point to determine their veracity,” Brandon Brown, Roberts’ attorney, told Axios in October.