An illegal immigrant lied his way onto Maryland’s voter rolls — and even after pleading guilty to citizenship fraud, it took three more months and outside pressure to finally remove him.

Story Highlights

• Ian Roberts, an illegal immigrant, registered to vote in Maryland twice by falsely claiming U.S. citizenship on his application.
• Roberts was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and pleaded guilty to citizenship fraud, yet remained on the voter rolls for months after his guilty plea.
• Maryland election officials initially released only redacted voter records, hiding his answer to the citizenship question — and only backed down after watchdog groups threatened legal action.
• Congressional Republicans demanded answers from the Maryland Board of Elections, while the state’s election chief dodged giving clear responses about the nine-month delay.

An Illegal Immigrant Registered to Vote — Twice

Ian Roberts is an illegal immigrant who registered to vote in Maryland not once, but twice. He did it by checking “yes” on the citizenship question of his voter registration form. Unredacted records released by Maryland confirmed he falsely claimed U.S. citizenship on that application. Lying on a voter registration form is a felony, punishable by prison time, fines, and deportation.^[10]

Roberts was not some unknown figure. He had served as a school superintendent in Iowa before Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested him. The case drew national attention because it showed exactly how a determined noncitizen could slip through a system that relies almost entirely on the honor system. Voters must swear they are citizens — but Maryland does not require documents to prove it.^[7]

Guilty Plea — Still on the Rolls

Roberts pleaded guilty to citizenship fraud in February 2026. His guilty plea was a direct admission that he is not a U.S. citizen. Despite that, he remained on Maryland’s voter rolls for at least three more months after the plea. The Washington Times reported in May 2026 that Roberts was still registered even as he faced prison time for the very fraud that put him on those rolls.^[3]

Maryland’s election chief, Jared DeMarinis, said the state generally only removes noncitizens from voter rolls when the voter self-reports or when a jury commissioner sends a referral. In other words, Maryland was waiting for Roberts to turn himself in — even after a court confirmed he was not a citizen. That standard left a convicted fraudster on the rolls for months with no action.^[16]

Officials Hid the Records — Then Backed Down

When watchdog groups first asked for Roberts’ voter registration file, Maryland officials handed over a redacted copy. The most important part — his answer to “Are you a U.S. citizen?” — was blacked out. Election integrity group RITE USA pushed back hard and threatened legal action. Only then did Maryland release the full, unredacted record confirming Roberts checked “yes” on the citizenship box.^[2]

The fact that officials tried to hide that answer raises serious questions. Why redact the one piece of information the public most needed to see? The move looked less like routine privacy protection and more like damage control. It took outside pressure — not internal accountability — to get the truth out.^[2]

Congress Stepped In While Maryland Dodged

House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil and Subcommittee on Elections Chair Laurel Lee sent a formal demand to the Maryland Board of Elections in December 2025. They wanted clear answers about how Roberts ended up on the voter rolls and why he stayed there. Maryland’s response left lawmakers unsatisfied. Fox News reported that DeMarinis dodged specifics, and Republicans vowed to keep digging.^[9][5]

🗳️ The Other Maryland Man finally removed from Maryland Voter Registration list.

9 months after it was discovered that a superintendent of a large school district was not only a noncitizen with a final deportation order, but also had been illicitly registered to vote in… pic.twitter.com/xqKTCskJQR

— Maryland Freedom Caucus (@MDFreedomCaucus) June 19, 2026

The Maryland Freedom Caucus confirmed Roberts was finally removed from the voter rolls — roughly nine months after the case first came to light. It took a guilty plea, congressional pressure, watchdog legal threats, and media coverage to accomplish what should have happened automatically the moment ICE arrested him. That nine-month timeline is the real story here. If one high-profile case took this long to resolve, how many lower-profile cases never get resolved at all?^[5]

A System Built on Trust — With No Way to Verify It

Maryland is not alone in relying on self-attestation. Forty-nine states ask voters to swear they are citizens under penalty of perjury, but only Arizona requires actual documents to prove it. The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) sets the baseline — sign and swear — but leaves verification largely to the states. Maryland’s process depends on voters telling the truth, and Roberts proved that some won’t.^[7]

Supporters of the current system point out that documented noncitizen voting is statistically rare. Studies have found very small numbers of noncitizens on voter rolls nationwide, and most audits show few if any actual ballots cast by noncitizens. But the Roberts case is not really about how often fraud happens — it is about whether the system can catch it when it does. Nine months to remove one known fraudster is not a reassuring answer to that question.

Sources:

[2] YouTube – Maryland records suggest non-citizen Ian Roberts may …

[3] Web – Maryland Elections Officials Back Down on Illegal Alien Voter …

[5] Web – Good news. The criminal, illegal alien who ICE arrested has finally …

[7] Web – Maryland records suggest non-citizen Ian Roberts may have been …

[9] YouTube – Ian Roberts Controversy: How an Undocumented Immigrant Ended …

[10] Web – Press Releases – United States Committee on House Administration

[16] Web – Watchdog uncovers Ian Roberts’ MD voter registration application …