Des Moines school board poised to fire superintendent after ICE arrest

Des Moines, Iowa superintendent arrested by ICE

The superintendent of Iowa's largest school district has been arrested and put on leave. Ian Roberts was arrested by ICE officials last week and is accused of living and working in the U.S. illegally. Olivia Calmes has the latest.

DES MOINES, Iowa (FOX 9) - The Des Moines school board is poised to fire the district's superintendent after he was detained by ICE last week.

Des Moines superintendent loses license

What's new?:

In a letter, the State of Iowa notified Dr. Ian Roberts on Sunday that his education license had been suspended due to his immigration status.

Roberts does have a right to an appeal – if he was able to successfully stop his removal.

Roberts remains in federal custody at the Woodbury County Jail.

Big picture view:

Last week, Des Moines Public Schools named Associate Superintendent Matt Smith as interim superintendent as Roberts faces removal from the United States.

Board slated to end Roberts' contract

What's next:

During a school board meeting on Monday night, Des Moines board members voted to place Roberts on unpaid leave. In a statement, board members said they were unaware of Roberts' removal orders until the arrest, and neither Roberts himself nor a federal agency notified them about being ordered removed. The board also says Roberts said he was a citizen and provided a Social Security number on hiring documents.

The board has requested more information about Roberts' immigration status from his counsel. Unless they receive new, material information showing he's eligible to work by noon on Tuesday, the board says they will move to terminate Roberts' contract.

The vote could happen as soon as Tuesday evening.

ICE detains superintendent

The backstory:

In a statement on Sept. 26, the Des Moines Public Schools Board announced Superintendent Dr. Ian Roberts had been detained by ICE that morning.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety later said Roberts had been detained after a traffic stop by ICE. Officials said he tried to flee the traffic stop and troopers were called in to help find him. ICE says Roberts is in the United States from Guyana. At the time of his arrest, he was carrying a handgun, $3,000 in cash, and a hunting knife.

ICE says Roberts came to the United States legally in 1999 on a student visa. But, an immigration judge ordered him to be removed from the United States in May 2024 due to a weapons possession arrest in 2020.

Dig deeper:

Roberts has been the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools since July 2023, previously serving as the interim superintendent during the 2022-23 school year, according to the Des Moines Register.

Roberts competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games in track and field for Guyana and attended Coppin State University in Maryland, where he earned an education degree. He also completed education programs at Harvard's Graduate School of Education, and earned an MBA at MIT's Sloan School of Management.