ICE agents arrested the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, Iowa’s largest school district, initiated after a traffic stop on Friday, claiming that Dr. Ian Roberts, 54, was in the country illegally and had no work authorization.
ICE said that Roberts, who is from Guyana, was considered a fugitive because he was subject to a final removal order in 2024.
Jackie Norris, school board president, said Roberts has been an “integral part of our school community” who has “shown up in ways big and small.”
In a joint statement, the presidents of unions representing teachers and other school employees in Des Moines and across the state said they were shocked by Roberts’ detention. They described his compassion for all students of all backgrounds as “a beacon of light in one of the state’s most diverse school districts.”
Roberts is reported to have fled a traffic stop in a school-appointed vehicle. The vehicle was found abandoned near a wooded area. Iowa State Patrol officers helped apprehend him and he was brought to a county jail. ICE says he was in possession of a loaded handgun and a hunting knife.
Roberts has described himself as a longtime hunter and gun owner. In 2022, Roberts pled guilty to a minor firearms infraction after a game officer stopped him following a day of hunting with a loaded gun in his vehicle. He received a $100 fine, and later questioned if race played a part in the case.
“I may not appear to be the ‘type of man’ who would enjoy deer season in Pennsylvania, in fact, I am and have been hunting for more than 20 years,” Roberts wrote on a social media post then.
- According to his biography on the Des Moines school website, Roberts was born to immigrant parents from Guyana in South America, and was raised in Brooklyn.
- According to DHS, Roberts entered the U.S. in 1999 on a student visa and received a final order of removal by an immigration judge in May 2024.
- In 2000, Roberts competed in the Olympics in track and field for Guyana.
Roberts has been superintendent at DMPS since July 1, 2023. Prior to that, he was a superintendent in Pennsylvania at Millcreek Township School District. He’s also worked in school districts in St. Louis, Baltimore, Washington D.C., and South Bronx, New York.
Roberts received his undergraduate education from Coppin State University, has master’s degrees from St. John’s University and Georgetown University, and a doctorate from Trident University.
In Des Moines, Roberts oversaw a school district of 30,000 students and 5,000 employees, earning a $270,000 base salary.
