ICE arrests superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district

Ian Roberts speaks with the media after being named the new DMPS superintendent during a Des Moines Public Schools board meeting at Central Campus in May 2023, in Des Moines. (Credit: Lily Smith/The Register/USA Today Network/Imagn Images via CNN Newsource)

The superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools — Iowa’s largest school district – was detained Friday morning by immigration agents, according to the Department of Homeland Security, which said the educator was in the country illegally and had existing weapon possession charges.

Superintendent Ian Roberts – an educator with decades of experience who previously competed as an Olympic athlete for Guyana – was arrested as part of a “targeted enforcement operation” and fled after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers approached him, according to statements from DHS and the Iowa Department of Public Safety.

DHS said he was “in possession of a loaded handgun, US$3,000 in cash and a fixed blade hunting knife” at the time of his arrest. It’s a violation of federal law to own a firearm and ammunition if an individual doesn’t have legal status in the U.S.

CNN is working to identify Roberts’ attorney.

The school district and DHS presented starkly divergent portraits of Roberts. DHS described him as a “criminal alien” and suggested he was a public safety threat. But at a news conference after his arrest, board president of Des Moines Public Schools Jackie Norris said the superintendent was “an integral part of our school community” who “has shown up in ways big and small” for students and staff. And Roberts disclosed his weapon charge, related to a hunting rifle, when he was hired, a district spokesperson told CNN.

The arrest spurred a protest outside the federal courthouse in Des Moines. “Education, not deportation / Free Dr. Roberts,” read one sign carried by a demonstrator, according to footage from CNN affiliate KCCI. Local education and immigration advocacy groups have rallied behind the superintendent.

The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners issued Roberts a license to serve as superintendent in the state in July 2023, according to Norris.

“There is new information that has been made public that we did not know, and we have not been able to verify,” Norris said.

Roberts oversaw over 30,000 students in the Des Moines public school system, according to the district’s website, and had previously worked at public schools across the country.

Another administrator, Matt Smith, has taken the role of interim superintendent in the meantime, according to a message posted on social media by the district earlier.

“Our priority is to provide a safe, secure and outstanding education for all students and to support our students, families, and employees,” the statement read.

Roberts’ arrest comes amid the Trump administration’s continued crackdown on immigration, which has seen raids on workplaces and arrests of community pillars including a firefighter, a journalist and a pastor.

Superintendent was given final order of removal in 2024, DHS says

Roberts entered the US on a student visa in 1999 and was given a final order of removal by an immigration judge in May 2024, according to the DHS statement. He had existing weapon charges from 2020, the agency added.

Des Moines Public Schools said it was unaware of the order of removal but Roberts did inform the school board of a firearms offence related to a hunting rifle during his hiring process. The district said in a statement Roberts “provided sufficient context and explanation of the situation to move forward in the hiring process.”

Public records show Roberts pleaded guilty to a weapon charge in Pennsylvania in 2022. CNN has been unable to verify whether Roberts has a separate charge from 2020.

The district also said Roberts submitted an employment eligibility verification form and an I-9 as part of the hiring process.

“The district has not been formally notified by ICE about this matter, nor have we been able to talk with Dr. Roberts since his detention,” district spokesperson Phil Roeder said.

ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations St. Paul Field Office Director Sam Olson said in a statement Robertson’s arrest should be a “wake-up call for our communities to the great work that our officers are doing every day to remove public safety threats.”

ICE’s online detainee locator system shows Roberts was born in Guyana and is being held at a county jail in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Community rallies behind longtime educator

Roberts was named Des Moines Public Schools superintendent in 2023, according to the district’s website. He was “born to immigrant parents from Guyana, and spent most of his formative years in Brooklyn, NY,” the website reads.

Before becoming an educator, the superintendent was an Olympic athlete and competed in track and field at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

Roberts’ long educational career has included positions in New York City; Baltimore; Washington, DC; St. Louis; Oakland, California; and Erie, Pennsylvania, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Among the crowd protesting Roberts’ arrest Friday was district teacher Mary Pat LaMair, who said she was excited to see the display of support.

“I just think it’s really important that we take care of one another, and we seem to be at a spot where that’s not what’s happening,” LaMair told CNN affiliate KCCI. She added, “It’s important for people to know that the general public, I think, is not okay with what’s happening.”

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, was made aware of the incident and is in contact with local and federal authorities, according to KCCI.

The Iowa State Education Association and Des Moines Education Association said they were “shocked” by Roberts’ detention and described the administrator as a “tremendous advocate” in a statement, reported KCCI.

“His leadership and compassion for all students, regardless of background, identity, or family origin, are a beacon of light in one of the state’s most diverse school districts,” reads the statement, according to KCCI. “It is a dark and unsettling time in our country. This incident has created tremendous fear for DMPS students, families, and staff.”

The Directors Council — a nonprofit group serving Des Moines’ Black community — identified Roberts as a board member and offered him their “full support” in a post on Facebook.

Roberts “has been a trusted partner, a dedicated advocate for equity, and an unwavering supporter of families and youth in Polk County,” reads the post. “His contributions to both The Directors Council and the wider community are immeasurable, and we stand with him during this uncertain moment.”

In a video statement posted on their Facebook page, organizers from the Iowa Movement for Migrant Justice said news of the superintendent’s detention was shocking and scary for immigrant communities.

“We know in advance that our families right now are afraid that if they go to pick up their kids, if they send them to school, if immigrant agents are going to go take their kids out of school,” Elizabeth Balcarcel said in the video statement. “There are many questions, many doubts.”

The Des Moines School Board has scheduled a special closed-session meeting on Saturday to discuss the arrest and Roberts’ status with the district.