Federal immigration authorities said they have detained Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Ian Roberts, who is accused of being in the U.S. unlawfully and was allegedly found with a loaded handgun, cash, and a knife during a targeted enforcement operation on Friday.
Roberts, 49, was taken into custody on Sept. 26 after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers said he fled an attempted stop in his vehicle before abandoning it near a wooded area. Iowa State Patrol troopers later helped in finding him. ICE officials said he was driving a district-provided vehicle when he was taken into custody.
ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations office in St. Paul said Roberts, who was born in Guyana, entered the U.S. on a student visa in 1999. An immigration judge issued a final order of removal to him in May 2024, and he does not have legal work authorization, according to the agency.
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Officers reported recovering a loaded firearm, $3,000 in cash, and a hunting knife from the vehicle. The case involving the weapon has been referred to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Federal law prohibits people without legal immigration status from possessing firearms or ammunition.
“This suspect was arrested in possession of a loaded weapon in a vehicle provided by Des Moines Public Schools after fleeing federal law enforcement,” said ICE ERO St. Paul Field Office Director Sam Olson. “This 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. How this illegal alien was hired without work authorization, a final order of removal, and a prior weapons charge is beyond comprehension and should alarm the parents of that school district.”
Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds was made aware of the situation this morning, spokesperson Mason Mauro said in a statement.
According to ICE, Roberts has prior weapons charges dating back to February 2020.
Court records in Pennsylvania show that Roberts pleaded guilty in January 2022 to a minor infraction for unlawfully possessing a loaded firearm in a vehicle, and was fined $100 plus court costs. The case stemmed from a citation in Erie County issued the prior month by a Pennsylvania Game Commission officer, who stopped Roberts as he was finishing a day of deer hunting on state lands.
Roberts said at the time he was a longtime licensed hunter and gun owner, and that he left his hunting rifle on the seat of his vehicle in plain view to ensure the officer did not feel threatened during their interaction. He said that he was shocked when the officer cited him for doing so, but that he pleaded guilty to avoid any distraction. He questioned whether his dark skin may have played a role 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.
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At the time of his arrest, Roberts was serving as superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools. According to the school district’s website, Roberts was appointed in July 2023 following a national search. According to his LinkedIn profile, Roberts was a principal under the District of Columbia Public Schools for four years. He was also awarded “Principal of the Year” in 2013 by George Washington University.
Coppin State University’s website features an alumni profile of Roberts, who graduated from the school in Baltimore in 1998. In it, Roberts said his father immigrated to the United States in the 1980s, and his mother immigrated in the early 2000s.
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 said he had been a “tremendous advocate for students, families, staff, and the community.”
“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,” said the statement by Iowa State Education Association President Joshua Brown and Des Moines Education Association President Anne Cross. “It is a dark and unsettling time in our country. This incident has created tremendous fear for DMPS students, families, and staff.”
It was the second time in two days that an aggressive action by ICE shocked local officials in Iowa. On Thursday, agents in plain clothes who refused to identify their affiliation violently arrested a man who was working at a grocery store in downtown Iowa City, pinning him to the floor and handcuffing him as shocked shoppers looked on.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.