1. United States
2. Iowa
3. Letter

I write to you today with outrage, grief, and resolve over the recent ICE detention of Dr. Ian Roberts, superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools — an act that is emblematic of a deeply corrosive abuse of federal power and one that cannot go unanswered. Dr. Roberts has been a committed public educator and leader. The school district had him go through background checks and employment authorization processes. The Board and community believed he was legally operating. Yet, federal agents swooped in, detained him, and now cast this as a case of immigration enforcement. This isn’t about “cracking down on criminals” — it is about terrorizing communities and workplaces, undermining trust in institutions, and weaponizing immigration authority for political and social intimidation. We are seeing a pattern: ICE actions that reach into everyday life far beyond any credible nexus to “criminal enforcement.” The drift is clear: no immigrant is safe — no matter their status, role, or contribution — when this kind of needlessly aggressive enforcement is normalized. If your priority is actual public safety, let me ask: why not hold the person currently occupying the White House to account first? The double standard and hypocrisy are obvious. The American people, especially those in immigrant and minority communities, see through this veneer of “law and order.” We see the cruelty, the arbitrariness, the selective targeting. Here is what I demand you do — and what the majority of citizens now expect: 1. Call for immediate release of Dr. Roberts while clarifying whether any legitimate due process was followed. 2. Support congressional oversight to stop ICE operations that lack transparency, indiscriminately target civilians, and bypass reasonable accountability. 3. Push for legislation that restricts ICE from performing enforcement actions near schools, workplaces, and community centers, unless there is clear, narrowly defined probable cause. 4. Defund any ICE activities that are being used as domestic intimidation tools rather than law enforcement for genuine threats. Ignoring these demands sends a signal: your tolerance for injustices is as high as your passivity. Let that not be your legacy. Let the House and Senate not be seen as complicit in tyranny dressed as policy. I expect a prompt response from your office, clear public statements in support of Dr. Roberts, and an unequivocal commitment to stop this lawlessness.