Iowa Gov. Reynolds orders E-Verify checks for state hires, licenses after Des Moines superintendent’s ICE arrest

Gov. Kim Reynolds on Wednesday signed an executive order requiring all state government agencies to use federal verification systems to confirm both the employment eligibility of state workers and the citizenship or immigration status of individuals seeking state-issued professional licenses — a move she said was prompted by the Des Moines Public Schools hiring scandal involving former superintendent Ian Roberts.

The order directs state departments to begin using E-Verify, which checks new employees’ work authorization through federal databases, and SAVE, a federal system that confirms immigration or citizenship status for certain government benefits and licenses. Both systems are administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

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“While it’s the responsibility of employers to ensure those they hire are eligible to work in the United States, in light of recent events with the former superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, I am issuing Executive Order 15, putting safeguards in place that 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,” Reynolds said.

The governor said some state agencies already use E-Verify or SAVE voluntarily, but her directive makes the programs mandatory across all of state government. Her office said Iowa is finalizing a memorandum of understanding with USCIS and aims to have both systems fully operational by the end of the year.

After Des Moines hiring scandal, lawmakers eye broader mandate

The governor’s order comes as state lawmakers weigh whether to go further by requiring all public employers — or all Iowa businesses — to use E-Verify. The debate reignited after Roberts’ arrest raised questions about verification gaps in both state licensing and local hiring.

The Associated Press has reported that Roberts — originally from Guyana — first entered the U.S. in 1994 on a nonimmigrant visa, and he returned in 1999 on an F-1 student visa, which was set to expire in March 2004. he was denied a green card application in 2003.

Roberts obtained work authorization from USCIS in 2018, and the Department of Homeland Security said his second work authorization expired in December 2020.

The district has said — and the AP has reported — that Roberts signed a form when he was hired attesting that he was a U.S. citizen, submitting a Social Security card and a driver’s license as verification. District officials also stated they had no knowledge that an immigration judge issued a final order for removal in 2024, and that a judge denied a motion to reopen Roberts’ immigration case in April of this year.

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Iowa is among the majority of states that do not require most employers to use E-Verify, which compares information from an employee’s Form I-9 with U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records. Only federal contractors are required to participate under federal law; for everyone else, use of the system is voluntary.

The controversy revealed how those gaps can allow false statements or expired documentation to go undetected, prompting fresh scrutiny of hiring practices in Des Moines and beyond.

Des Moines case triggers scrutiny

Following Roberts’ arrest, Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley asked DHS to review the district’s hiring practices. DHS found no record of Des Moines Public Schools enrolling in E-Verify and said Roberts “should not have possessed any valid documentation evidencing employment authorization.” If his expired work document had been submitted through E-Verify, DHS said, it would have flagged him.

The Iowa Department of Education noted that verifying work authorization is the employer’s duty, not the licensing board’s.

“Dr. Roberts stated that he was a U.S. citizen on the application for administrator licensure under penalty of perjury,” the department said, adding that the Board of Educational Examiners conducts standard background checks but not federal work authorization reviews.

The department said it is now reviewing the district’s hiring procedures “to ensure proper verification of employees’ legal work status.”

Meanwhile, the Des Moines School Board voted to sue JG Consulting, the firm that led its superintendent search, alleging it failed to identify false statements and verify Roberts’ credentials. The firm’s attorney said Roberts provided Form I-9 documentation attesting to his legal ability to work.

How E-Verify and SAVE work

E-Verify electronically compares information from Form I-9 to federal databases to confirm work eligibility, typically providing a response within seconds. SAVE — the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements — provides immigration and citizenship information for determining eligibility for government benefits and licenses. Both systems are free for the state to use.

Federal contractors and universities conducting federally funded research already must use E-Verify as a condition of their contracts. SAVE is used by some agencies to confirm eligibility for health care, social security, education grants, driver’s licenses, and other benefits.

E-Verify has been unavailable since Oct. 1 use due to the federal government shutdown.

What comes next

The governor’s office said implementation details will be finalized in coordination with federal officials in the coming weeks.

At the same time, the Iowa House Government Oversight Committee’s investigation into Roberts’ hiring is ongoing. Lawmakers expect to review the district’s and JG Consulting’s records this fall.

In the meantime, both the Iowa Department of Education and the Des Moines School Board are reviewing procedures, and state leaders are bracing for another round of debate over how far Iowa should go in mandating E-Verify.

Comments: (319) 398-8499; tom.barton@thegazette.com