Des Moines Superintendent Ian Roberts resigns after ICE arrest; DOJ opens probe into district hiring
Ian Roberts, superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, was detained by ICE on Sept. 26, 2025; ICE says agents caught him after he fled a vehicle and recovered a loaded Glock 19, a fixed‑blade hunting knife and cash, and that he is subject to a May 22, 2024 final order of removal with expired work authorization. The school board placed him on leave and he has since resigned amid protests and a state licensing revocation, his attorneys have filed to stay deportation, and the DOJ Civil Rights Division has opened a probe into the district’s hiring practices while the district says an I‑9 was completed by a third‑party vendor and it was not aware of any removal order.
Crime
Legal
Education
Elections
Immigration
Public Safety
Politics
🔍 Key Facts
- Ian Roberts, superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, was detained by ICE on Sept. 26, 2025 after agents say he fled from a school‑issued vehicle and was located about 200 yards away in brush; he has been held at the Woodbury County Jail in Sioux City.
- ICE says agents recovered a loaded Glock 19, a fixed‑blade hunting knife and $3,000 in cash in the vehicle used to flee, and characterizes the arrest as the removal of a 'public‑safety threat.'
- ICE alleges Roberts has a finalized immigration removal order (issued May 22, 2024), overstayed a student visa first issued in 1999, and had an employment authorization card that expired in 2020; a prior motion to reopen was denied and his attorneys say they will file a motion to reopen and have requested a stay of deportation (filed under seal).
- Roberts was hired as DMPS superintendent on July 1, 2023; the district says an I‑9 was completed by a third‑party vendor and that it was not aware of his final removal order — the Iowa State Board/Board of Educational Examiners later revoked his educational/superintendent license and the state is reviewing hiring procedures.
- The Des Moines school board initially placed Roberts on paid administrative leave (later described as unpaid leave) and named an interim; Roberts submitted a resignation to the district. Board chair Jackie Norris publicly defended him, set a deadline for proof he could legally work, and protests erupted in Des Moines after the detention.
- Roberts retained attorney Alfredo Parrish, who announced a planned news conference and legal filings on Roberts' behalf.
- The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has opened a probe into Des Moines Public Schools’ hiring practices to assess possible discrimination based on color, race or national origin, while Iowa Republican lawmakers and the state House oversight committee have sought preservation of hiring records and launched related inquiries.
- Additional reporting notes that ICE ERO St. Paul Field Office Director Sam Olson publicly framed the case as a 'wake‑up call,' and that public records show Roberts listed as an active registered voter in Maryland.
📍 Contextual Background
- Video footage captured an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer pushing a visibly upset Ecuadoran woman to the ground outside an immigration court at the 26 Federal Plaza building in Manhattan.
- The Department of Homeland Security released a statement saying the officer was being relieved of current duties while a full investigation was conducted and denouncing the officer's conduct as unacceptable.
- Debarment is a federal administrative process that can render an entity ineligible to receive federal grants.
- Two U.S. officials told CBS News that the ICE officer who was captured on video pushing the woman was returned to duty after a preliminary review of the incident.
- The Rapid Response Legal Collaborative had funding of $500,000 (as reported in the article).
- The Immigrant Opportunity Initiative had funding of $20,000,000 (as reported in the article).
- New York City has sanctuary city status.
📰 Sources (9)
Iowa school superintendent resigns after ICE arrest rocks Des Moines district
New information:
- Ian Roberts submitted a resignation letter to the Des Moines Public Schools board (announced Tuesday).
- Roberts' attorneys said a motion to reopen his immigration case will be filed.
- The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has opened a probe into Des Moines Public Schools’ hiring practices to assess potential discrimination based on color, race or national origin.
- Iowa Board of Educational Examiners revoked Roberts’ educational license (noted on its website).
Iowa school leader detained by ICE seeks to put his deportation on hold, lawyers say
New information:
- Roberts' attorneys filed a request for a stay of deportation with the federal immigration court in Omaha; the filing was made under seal.
- Attorney Alfredo Parrish is representing Superintendent Ian Roberts and announced a planned news conference.
- Des Moines school board voted to put Roberts on unpaid leave; state board had stripped his superintendent license.
- Board chair Jackie Norris set a noon deadline for Roberts’ legal team to provide documentation proving he could legally work in the U.S.
- Roberts has been held at the Woodbury County Jail in Sioux City since his arrest.
Illegal alien arrested by ICE found registered as active Democrat voter in blue state
New information:
- Maryland State Board of Elections records list Ian Andre Roberts as an active, registered Democrat voter in Maryland.
- House Freedom Caucus has sent a letter demanding answers from the Maryland State Board of Elections about alleged 'gaping holes' allowing a noncitizen to remain on voter rolls and about a prior elections‑board letter to DOJ expressing concerns about data being used for immigration enforcement.
- Specific case details reiterated: Roberts overstayed a student visa from 1999, his employment authorization expired in 2020, he had a final order of removal in 2024, and ICE recovered a vehicle containing $3,000 in cash, a fixed‑blade hunting knife and a loaded Glock 19.
Ex Michelle Obama aide leads Des Moines school board's defense of superintendent arrested by ICE
New information:
- DMPS school board chair Jackie Norris — who served as Michelle Obama’s White House chief of staff — publicly defended Ian Roberts and urged 'radical empathy' as his case proceeds.
- Iowa Republicans have opened a wider probe into the hiring process; the House Government Oversight Committee sent DMPS a letter directing preservation of hiring documents.
- ICE (ERO St. Paul) official Sam Olson said Roberts was arrested after fleeing law enforcement and that a loaded handgun was found in a vehicle provided by Des Moines Public Schools; ICE says Roberts had a final order of removal issued in May 2024.
- DMPS says an I-9 was completed but it was conducted by a third‑party vendor, per the district (district response noted in the article).
Des Moines school superintendent placed on leave after ICE detention
New information:
- Des Moines School Board voted unanimously to place Superintendent Ian Roberts on paid administrative leave and named the associate superintendent to serve in his stead.
- ICE says Roberts was subject to a final removal order issued in 2024; agents stopped him while he was driving a school‑issued vehicle and say he fled into a wooded area before Iowa State Patrol assisted in his apprehension.
- Iowa Department of Education said Roberts stated he was a U.S. citizen when applying for an administrator license and the state board had conducted criminal history checks before issuing a license; the state is reviewing district hiring procedures.
- Roberts retained a Des Moines law firm (attorney Alfredo Parrish) to represent him; the district and a private background‑check contractor said prior screens (2023) did not reveal citizenship issues.
- Biographical details: Roberts said he was born to Guyanese immigrant parents, served in the Guyana police earlier in life, and competed for Guyana in the 2000 Olympics; ICE says he originally entered the U.S. on a student visa in 1999.
Social media erupts after ICE arrest of superintendent in Iowa: 'Crazy story'
New information:
- ICE ERO St. Paul Field Office Director Sam Olson is quoted directly, calling the arrest a 'wake‑up call' and identifying the case as a public‑safety removal.
- ICE says agents found a loaded handgun in a vehicle provided by Des Moines Public Schools that was used by Roberts to flee from law enforcement.
- Account that Roberts abandoned his car in the woods and was later located by the Iowa State Patrol after attempting to drive away from ICE agents.
- District statement that an I‑9 had been completed by a third‑party vendor and that the district said it was not aware of Roberts' final order of removal.
Protests erupt over ICE detaining beloved Iowa public school superintendent
New information:
- Protests erupted in Des Moines after ICE detained the superintendent
- CBS identifies the detained official as Ian Andre Roberts and reports ICE says he overstayed a student visa from 1999
Iowa school superintendent arrested by ICE, facing prior weapons charges, allegedly found with loaded handgun
New information:
- ICE says Roberts fled a vehicle and was located about 200 yards away in brush after the vehicle was abandoned.
- Agents recovered a loaded Glock 19, a fixed‑blade hunting knife, and $3,000 in cash inside the vehicle used to flee.
- ICE alleges the vehicle was provided by Des Moines Public Schools and emphasized Roberts was in possession of a loaded weapon in that vehicle.
- Confirming prior immigration proceedings: a judge ordered his deportation on May 22, 2024, and an April 24, 2025 motion to reopen was denied.
- Employment authorization lapse: Roberts' work authorization card expired in 2020; he was hired as DMPS superintendent on July 1, 2023.
- Direct ICE quote from Sam Olson characterizing the arrest as removal of a 'public safety threat.'
Des Moines, Iowa, public school leader detained by immigration agents, school board says
New information:
- Ian Roberts, superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, was detained by ICE on Sept. 26, 2025 according to a school board statement.
- School board president Jackie Norris issued the statement saying the district has no confirmed information about the reason for the detention or next steps.
- ICE custody is reported at a county jail in western Iowa; a Pottawattamie County jail employee said Roberts was not currently at their Council Bluffs jail (about 130 miles west of Des Moines).