(Des Moines, IA) — All state departments must now verify employment eligibility before hiring new state employees. Yesterday, Governor Kim Reynolds signed an executive order mandating the hiring safeguards. She stated that it “will verify the legal immigration or citizenship status for anyone requesting a state-issued professional license before they provide services for Iowans or are entrusted with the health, safety, or education of our communities.” The order follows the hiring of former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts, who was arrested by ICE authorities in late September. Reynolds’ mandate now requires state agencies to verify citizenship or immigration status before issuing occupational and professional licenses through the E-Verify and SAVE systems.
Meanwhile, the Des Moines Public Schools District could face an audit to review records involving the hiring of former Superintendent Ian Roberts. State Senators Jesse Green, Kerry Gruenhagen, and Lynn Evans recently sent a letter to Iowa Auditor Rob Sand requesting the review. This comes after ICE agents arrested Roberts for overstaying his visa, as he later resigned on September 30th while the district investigated. The three Senators argued that Roberts deceived the Iowa community and school districts nationwide. They also requested that Sand conduct an audit of the DMPS system to “ensure the money invested by Iowa taxpayers into the education of students in this district is being spent and allocated where it is supposed to be.”
