ICE agents arrested an illegal immigrant who was working as the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools on Friday, taking him into custody during a targeted enforcement operation.
Roberts was managing the 32,000-student district despite being an illegal alien with a final order of removal and no work authorization.
During his arrest, officers found Roberts in possession of a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash, and a fixed-blade hunting knife. He was taken to Woodbury County’s jail in northwest Iowa on Friday evening, according to jail and ICE records.
A spokesperson for the district, Phil Roeder, said he had planned to meet Roberts at a school event on Friday morning but received a text from Roberts saying he couldn’t make it. He then later got a video call from Roberts and witnessed Roberts being detained by ICE officers.
ICE officers had approached Roberts in that vehicle, but officials said Roberts immediately fled the scene, abandoning the vehicle near a wooded area before being arrested with assistance from the Iowa State Patrol.
Roberts originally entered the United States in 1999 on a student visa, according to ICE. An immigration judge issued his final order of removal in May 2024, yet he continued serving as superintendent without legal work authorization.
The superintendent also has existing weapon possession charges dating to Feb. 5, 2020.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives will investigate how Roberts acquired the handgun seized on Friday. It is illegal under federal law for individuals without legal immigration status to possess firearms and ammunition.
District Officials 'Unaware'
Roeder said that the district hasn’t seen anything that would have suggested Roberts is not a citizen. The district stated on Friday that a third party had been hired to conduct a background check on Roberts and that the superintendent had also provided an I-9 form, which requires workers to submit legal work authorization documents. District officials said they had no knowledge of an order or removal issued in 2024.The state board of educational examiners had issued Roberts a professional administrator license in 2023, which remains active. Roberts earned a $270,000 annual salary as of his first contract with the district, which was active until June 30 this year.
A biography for Roberts listed on the district’s website says he was born to immigrant parents from Guyana and spent much of his childhood in Brooklyn, New York.
Pennsylvania court records show Roberts pleaded guilty in January 2022 to a minor infraction for unlawfully possessing a loaded firearm in a vehicle. He was fined $100 plus court fees. The citation came after a Pennsylvania Game Commission officer stopped Roberts after he had finished deer hunting on state land.
In a social media post at the time, Roberts said he is a longtime licensed hunter and gun owner, and that he intentionally left his hunting rifle in plain view to make sure the officer felt secure, and was shocked when he was cited for doing so. He questioned whether the color of his skin played a role in the citation in the same post.
"This action follows Dr. Ian Roberts being detained by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents this morning," Norris wrote. "We have no confirmed information as to why Dr. Roberts is being detained or the next potential steps."
Smith previously served as interim superintendent during the 2022 through 2023 school year, providing continuity during the transition, the district said.
Roberts' arrest has generated reactions from Iowa lawmakers.
U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa), whose district includes Des Moines Public Schools, supported the arrest.
The Directors Council, where Roberts served on the board, said they will continue to stand with Roberts, offering full support to Roberts and his family, despite the charges. The organization called Roberts "a valued member of our Board and a respected leader in the Des Moines community," while acknowledging the uncertainty surrounding his arrest.