Des Moines schools leader on leave after ICE arrest

A day after federal immigration agents arrested Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts, the district placed him on administrative leave, saying he was in the country illegally and not authorized to work. ICE said Roberts was detained after being stopped in a school-issued vehicle, then fled into a wooded area before being apprehended with help from Iowa State Patrol officers. He was held at the Woodbury County Jail in Sioux City, about 150 miles from Des Moines.

The Des Moines school board voted unanimously Saturday to place Roberts on paid leave during a three-minute special meeting. Roberts was not available to carry out his duties for the 30,000-student district, and officials said they would reassess his status after obtaining more information. Board president Jackie Norris said the arrest produced a jarring day, but that board members did not yet have all the facts. Norris noted that Roberts has hired a Des Moines law firm to represent him; Alfredo Parrish confirmed his firm is representing Roberts but declined to comment further. The district said it had previously conducted background checks before hiring Roberts and that he signed a form affirming citizenship status. A firm that helped in a 2023 search also conducted comprehensive criminal, credit and background checks on Roberts that did not flag citizenship issues. The Iowa Department of Education released a statement saying Roberts stated he was a U.S. citizen when applying for an administrator license. The department added that the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners conducted a criminal history check with state and federal authorities before issuing the license, and that it is reviewing the district’s hiring procedures to ensure workers are authorized to work in the U.S.

Roberts has said he was born to immigrant parents from Guyana and spent much of his childhood in Brooklyn, New York. He competed in track and field for Guyana at the 2000 Olympics. ICE said he entered the United States on a student visa in 1999. A former senior Guyanese police official recalled Roberts as a middle-distance runner who could have risen through the ranks there had he remained in Guyana. A former Guyanese police official, Paul Slowe, described Roberts as a promising and disciplined man.

The district serves about 30,000 students across Des Moines and surrounding areas, and officials said they would re-evaluate Roberts’s role as information becomes available. The Iowa Department of Education’s statement and ongoing review of hiring procedures signal potential procedural changes as the district navigates questions about citizenship verification and work authorization for its leaders and staff. Investigators emphasized that there is no presumption of guilt and that the investigation remains active as authorities determine next steps in federal proceedings.