Government : Reynolds issues executive order requiring state to use E-Verify for licensing

By Robin Opsahl

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed an executive order Wednesday requiring state government departments to verify immigration and citizenship status through the federal E-Verify and SAVE systems when granting occupational and professional licenses.

The executive order comes following the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest Sept. 26 of former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts, who had been given an order of removal by an immigration judge in May 2024. DMPS officials said Roberts completed the the I-9 employment eligibility verification form and submitted other required documentation confirming his ability to legally work in the U.S. when he was hired in 2023.

But the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, responding to a request for more information on the Roberts’ case from U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, said Roberts’ immigration status would have been flagged if DMPS had used E-Verify, the federal web-based system checking job applicants’ ability to work legally in the U.S. using federal documentation. The school district had never been enrolled in the E-Verify system, according to DHS.

Reynolds’ Wednesday order requires all state government departments to use E-Verify, as well as the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements database, known as SAVE, to verify the employment eligibility of people seeking to become state employees, as well as for applicants seeking state-issued occupational and professional licenses.

Roberts was granted an administrator license by the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners in July 2023, which was revoked in September following his arrest.

“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 in a statement. “Additionally, as an employer, the state takes seriously its responsibility to verify work eligibility. While some agencies voluntarily use E-Verify as part of the hiring process, my executive action now makes it a requirement.”

The executive order requires each state agency, as well as the Board of Regents, to use use E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of newly hired employees, in addition to requiring state agencies to verify the U.S. citizenship and immigration status of people who apply for professional licenses from the state.

The order also establishes a “SAVE Program Clearinghouse” in order to access the SAVE database and establish legal authority to verify citizenship and immigration status. The SAVE database is also what the Iowa Secretary of State’s office has accessed to confirm the citizenship status of people registered to vote in Iowa.

While Reynolds’ order applies to state agencies and the licensing process, state lawmakers may consider adding E-Verify requirements for other employers in the 2026 legislative session. Senate Majority Leader Mike Klimesh said in a statement Tuesday that he expects “E-Verify and other issues to address illegal immigration will continue to be a topic of conversation amongst Senate Republicans over the coming weeks and months heading into the legislative session.”

In recent years, Senate Republicans have passed legislation requiring employers use E-Verify and prohibiting businesses from knowingly employing an “unauthorized alien employee” — measures that have failed to advance in the Iowa House.