ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland Republican lawmakers are demanding answers after a former Baltimore principal, now found to be in the country illegally, was registered to vote.
Ian Andre Roberts was arrested last week by ICE agents in Des Moines, Iowa, allegedly in illegal possession of a gun.
Roberts had been serving as the area's superintendent of schools.
But ICE claims Roberts was given a final order of removal by an immigration judge in May of 2024.
Prior to his time in Iowa, Roberts spent time employed by Baltimore City and Prince George's County Public Schools.
RELATED: Former Baltimore Schools educator arrested by ICE after brief chase
Despite overstaying a student visa by more than 25 years, Roberts apparently is still registered to vote in Maryland elections, according to Delegate Matt Morgan, Chairman of the State's Freedom Caucus.
"Once again our citizens votes are diluted and the democratic process is undermined as another illegal alien is found on Maryland's voter rolls," Morgan said. "This isn't about politics; it violates our fundamental right to fair and secure elections."
The news comes months after the U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to Maryland's Board of Elections seeking to inspect the state's voter rolls.
Federal officials cited legislative audits in 2019 and 2023 which found the State Elections Board failed to remove deceased voters and duplicate registrations from its rolls.
The Board disputed most of the audit's findings, calling them either inaccurate or mischaracterized.
Nonetheless, DOJ lawyers warned Maryland's Administrator of Elections that the National Voter Registration Act requires states to make their rolls available for inspection to ensure voter eligibility.
So far, Delegate Robin Grammer says State Election leaders have resisted that request.
"Democrats have said directly that illegal aliens are not voting," said Grammer. "The reality is, they created a system that allows it, observed data that proves it is happening and are fighting to cover it up."
State Administrator Jared DeMarinis in his response to the DOJ, raised concerns about the federal government's intent of investigating voter rolls for immigration enforcement purposes.
"I request that the [DOJ] state whether the voter registration list be used in any investigative actions for potential violations of federal law. Specifically, whether the voter registration list will be used for enforcement of immigration laws against Maryland residents," DeMarinis wrote. "The voter registration list may not be used in a manner that intimidates a voter from going to the polls."
It's not the first time the accuracy of Maryland's voter rolls have been questioned.
Back in March 2024 WMAR-2 News reported on a lawsuit filed against the Maryland State Board of Elections over purported accuracy issues.
At the time an organization called Maryland Election Integrity LLC., told a federal court they discovered tens-of-thousands of errors within the State's voter registration database, which impacted vote counts during the 2020 and 2022 general elections.
MORE: Maryland State Board of Elections sued for inaccurate voting records
The lawsuit was eventually tossed out by a judge that concluded the group lacked standing to sue.
Now Republican lawmakers are again casting doubt on the State's process of handling elections.
The Freedom Caucus is urging the State Board of Elections to cooperate with the DOJ's voter rolls inspection, while also inquiring on how Roberts was not only allowed to remain in Maryland on an overstayed visa, let alone the ability to vote.
SEE ALSO: Maryland is one of nearly 20 states issuing drivers licenses to undocumented migrants
A copy of the Freedom Caucus list of demands can be read below.
Voter rolls aren't the only thing Maryland leaders have fought the feds over access to.
Attorney General Anthony Brown is currently representing Maryland in a pair of lawsuits against the government trying to prevent them from accessing the state's medicaid and food stamp rolls as well to avoid immigration enforcement.
In the medicaid case a California judge said "there does not appear to be anything categorically unlawful about [U.S. Department of Homeland Security] obtaining data from agencies like [Health and Human Services] for immigration enforcement purposes. Several federal statutes appear to permit, and sometimes even require, agencies to provide such information."
However, that same judge ruled ICE must provide better reasoning as to why they wish to now change prior precedent in which they used to not rely on Medicaid data for enforcement purposes.
"Although an agency need not demonstrate to a court’s satisfaction that the new policy is better than the old one, more detailed justification is required when an agency changes a policy that has engendered serious reliance interests,” the judge stated in his written opinion.
