House Republicans probe Maryland voter rolls after illegal immigrant case

Exclusive: MarylandIowa voter rolls are under scrutiny from House Republicans after it was discovered that an illegal immigrant working as a superintendent of a massive school system in Iowa was fraudulently registered to vote in Maryland, Fox News Digital has learned.

House Administration Committee Chairman Brian Steele, R-Wis., and Vice Chairman Laurel Lee, R-Fla., sent a letter to Maryland State Board of Elections Director Jared DeMarinis on Thursday demanding answers about Ian Andre Roberts registering to vote in the state despite not having U.S. citizenship. The House Administration Committee oversees the operations and oversight of the House of Representatives and is charged with considering proposals to amend federal election law.

Roberts’ own voter registration documents have faced intense scrutiny from conservatives, including when the Maryland County Board of Registration elections It released redacted versions of the files in November that redacted how Roberts answered the citizenship question.

“The Commission is concerned about the integrity and accuracy of Maryland’s citizenship verification processes and, by extension, the state’s voter rolls. To assist the Commission in monitoring this matter, please provide the following information as soon as possible,” the letter read, asking the elections chief 10 questions related to the state’s voter vetting process and the prevalence of illegal violations. immigrants On voter lists.

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

The committee presses for details, asking: “Is Roberts still a registered voter in Maryland?” “Has Mr. Roberts voted in Maryland before? If so, what elections has he participated in?” “Did Mr. Roberts mail in an absentee ballot? If so, in what election?” and “How does the State Board of Elections fulfill its obligations under 52 USC §20507 to conduct a public program to remove ineligible voters from the rolls?”

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

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

Roberts, originally from Guyana, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in September. Roberts was working as superintendent of the Des Moines, Iowa, public school system at the time of his arrest, sparking widespread interest and concern that the illegal immigrant was in such a high-ranking position even though his work permit card expired in 2020.

The arrest opened the door wide to investigations into Roberts’ past, including revealing a long criminal history in the United States dating back to 1996, when he was charged with possession of drugs with intent to sell them in New York.

It was discovered that Roberts is also a registered voter in Maryland. It is illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal or state elections.

Maryland, along with five other states, was also hit with a lawsuit earlier in December brought by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division for “failure to provide statewide voter registration lists upon request,” according to the Justice Department.

“The Department of Justice’s lawsuit against the Maryland Board of Elections is a stark reminder of the deep issues plaguing our voter registration system,” Republican State Delegate Matt Morgan, who is president of the Maryland Freedom Caucus, said of Maryland voters’ roles to Fox Digital.

He continued: “For years, we have heard the denial that non-citizen voting ‘never happens,’ and yet 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 Department of Justice’s efforts to protect our democracy by ensuring that only citizens vote.”

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

Voting occurred here before the 2025 election cycle. (Mark Kozlarich/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The conservative legal group Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections (RITE) sent a warning letter to the council shortly after to provide unredacted copies of the documents or face a potential court battle. The county board complied in December, unsealing Roberts Fraudulently stated He was a US citizen on documents.

“When election officials try to hide eligibility records, the public loses the ability to verify that the law is being followed,” Justin Riemer, president and CEO of Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections, said in a December press release about the unredacted version of the files. “Once the records were produced, we saw how weak the safeguards were in Maryland. This is unfortunately all too common across the country and federal laws do little to help prevent noncitizens 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 noncitizen has successfully registered to vote in Maryland on at least two occasions,” Steele and Lee continued in the letter. “The situation raises ongoing concerns that states are not verifying the citizenship of registrants. Oversight of federal elections is critical to informing potential legislative reforms and preserving the integrity of federal elections. The Commission is therefore seeking information from the Maryland State Board of Elections.”

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The letter also objected to significant redactions of Roberts’ documents when they were initially released.

“Mr. Roberts has repeatedly claimed U.S. citizenship and has remained a registered voter in Maryland for years, despite leaving the state more than a decade ago,” they wrote. “American Accountability has filed a public records request for Mr. Roberts’ voter registration application. The original release of documents contained significant and intentional edits, including Mr. Roberts’ answer to the citizenship question. The subsequent release of Mr. Roberts’ request continues to withhold important information such as the source of his voter registration application.”

Wisconsin Republican Rep. Brian Steele is leading the effort in demanding answers from the Maryland Board of Elections regarding illegal immigrants in voter roles. (Greg Nash/Pool via Reuters)

“Repeated redactions indicate that Maryland is either concealing an accidental voter registration of an illegal alien or withholding information about its failure to verify her citizenship,” the committee leaders argued.

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

“After review of the (Maryland Public Information Act) request by legal counsel, and after consultation with the Maryland State Board of Elections, and taking into account the NVRA statutory statutes as well as the accompanying reported federal cases addressing the disclosure of voter information to the Board of Elections, it has been determined that certain information in question relating to Mr. Robers cannot be redacted. The situation regarding the previously redacted information was immediately corrected,” Elections Director Wendy Honesty Bay said. he said in an email to Fox News Digital.

Republicans say that registering illegal immigrant Ian Andre Roberts to vote in Maryland raises serious concerns about voting operations in the state. (Keith Srakoch/AP Photo and ICE)

The Department of Homeland Security said in October that Roberts had been taken into custody by a U.S. Marshal and would face trial.

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

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

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

Roberts first arrived in the United States in 1994, according to the Department of Homeland Security, and faced a third-degree unauthorized use of a vehicle charge in Queens, New York, in 1998 that 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 2022 conviction for illegal possession of a loaded firearm in Pennsylvania.

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the yeah The Board of Educational Examiners revoked Roberts’ teaching license after his arrest, and he is no longer permitted to work 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, and general negligence, and is also seeking monetary damages, Fox Digital previously reported.

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

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