Des Moines Democrat and senatorial hopeful Jackie Norris has come under fire from Iowa Republicans as she navigates the aftermath of the arrest of former Superintendent Ian Roberts by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agents on Sept. 26. 

Norris chairs the Des Moines Independent Community School District Board, the board overseeing the state’s largest school district, and has had to navigate the shock, anger, disappointment, and politics that have come since federal agents arrested Roberts during a traffic stop in which he fled. 

Norris said it is important that investigations continue into how Roberts, who has lacked work authorization since 2020, was able to provide documentation to fill out an I-9 form and how ICE agents conducted the arrest. 

“I abhor the way that ICE handled the situation — it was clearly for headlines,” Norris said in an interview with The Daily Iowan on Monday. “There was no reason they couldn’t have picked up the phone call at home and called me as chair of the [Des Moines Independent Community School District Board] and had a conversation professionally and civilly.”

Norris also said the Republican frontrunner for the race, U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, had inflamed tensions by doing a Fox News appearance following Roberts’ arrest and said the situation made Des Moines “the laughing stock” of the U.S. 

“It was to score political points,” Norris said.

Norris’s comments come as U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, released information obtained from the Department of Homeland Security relating to his inquiry into the department’s E-Verify system and whether or not the system was used to verify Roberts’ authorization to work in the U.S. 

According to a release from Grassley’s office, information from the department shows the school district is not enrolled in the E-Verify system unless it is listed under a parent organization or another name. 

Norris’ campaign focuses on the caregiver economy 

Norris is vying for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, will vacate at the end of her term after announcing she won’t seek reelection in 2026. 

Norris is one of five Democrats running for the seat, and a recent National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee poll found Norris is 1.7 percent behind Iowa Sen. Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, who is also running for the seat in popularity, according to the poll. 

Norris said her campaign will focus on listening to voters of all parties and advocating for those in the caregiver economy, such as childcare workers, nursing aides, and teachers. 

Norris, who is a former high school government teacher and currently runs a small business, said she will advocate for better workplace conditions, pay, and benefits for caregivers. 

“They are underpaid, they often don’t have benefits, they have very little workplace flexibility, and this is a group of professionals that deserves our respect,” Norris said. “If we don’t take that more seriously, we will lose the concept of care for people, and I think it’s really important to lift that up.” 

Norris said as a high school teacher, she saw kids who didn’t have access to enough food, and that made it difficult for them to succeed. She said kids born into poverty shouldn’t be punished for it and allowed to succeed. 

“One of the things that you can’t help but see is our kids and families in crisis,” Norris said. “And a lot of our young kids if they don’t have access to food, they don’t have access to housing, if they don’t have access to some of the basic needs, it’s near impossible for them to have good conditions for learning in the classroom.”