Des Moines schools superintendent resigns amid ICE detention, legal case
Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Ian Roberts resigned on Tuesday, four days after federal agents detained him over his immigration status. The Des Moines School Board accepted the resignation, saying he is ineligible to work for the district “in any fashion.”
Roberts, a native of Guyana, faces a deportation order for overstaying a student visa issued in 1999. His detention shocked the Des Moines community, where he had led the public schools since 2023, following years of experience in education across multiple cities.
The school board placed Roberts on unpaid leave on Monday after the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners revoked Roberts’ school administrator’s license, effectively barring him from serving as a superintendent anywhere in the state.
Attorney emphasizes complexity of case
On Tuesday, Roberts sent a letter to the district through his attorney, Alfredo Parrish, saying he did not want his case to distract from the district’s educational mission.
“This is a very complex case,” Parrish said. “It’s complex, it’s difficult.”
Roberts, through his legal team, also thanked the community for its support, saying the encouragement has helped him navigate the ongoing process.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents say they moved on Roberts on Sept. 26 as part of a ”targeted” enforcement action. When officers approached Roberts in his car, he drove away. The vehicle was later found abandoned near a wooded area, and with help from the Iowa State Patrol, Roberts was taken into custody.
Inside the vehicle, officers reported finding a loaded gun, roughly $3,000 in cash and a hunting knife. Officials said Roberts was charged with a weapons offense in 2020, but released few details about that case.
ICE records show that Roberts came to the U.S. from Guyana on a student visa in 1999. An immigration judge ordered his removal in May 2024, and ICE says he no longer has legal authorization to work in the U.S.
Legal motions to stay and reopen case
Parrish told reporters that Roberts’ legal team has filed a motion to stay the deportation order in hopes of preventing his removal from the country. He said records from the immigration courts have been difficult to access, but the attorneys are working to gather as much information as possible. They have also filed a motion to reopen the case.
“That’s important because Dr. Roberts had a prior attorney,” Parrish said, explaining that Roberts once received a letter from that attorney stating his case was closed.
According to Parrish, Roberts believed that the letter, sent in April 2025, meant the matter had been resolved in his favor.
School district officials in Des Moines said they learned Monday afternoon from the Department of Homeland Security that Roberts is classified as an unauthorized worker. The district also received a copy of the final removal order signed by an immigration judge.
The school board and the state’s education department said Roberts identified himself as a U.S. citizen and provided proof of citizenship on his employment I-9 form.
Parrish declined to explain how his client obtained a Social Security number, noting only that some people entering the U.S. are eligible for one.
The attorney also did not comment directly on reports that Roberts had a loaded handgun and about $3,000 in cash when he was taken into custody. He highlighted Roberts’ military service in Guyana, stating that the superintendent had once led dangerous operations against major criminal figures and was occasionally targeted in the line of duty.
ICE records show that Roberts is being held at the Woodbury County Jail in Sioux City, Iowa.
Federal civil rights investigation launched
Roberts’ arrest drew wider scrutiny of the district, and now federal officials have launched a civil rights investigation into its hiring and employment practices. The Department of Justice said the review will examine whether the district’s hiring and employment practices comply with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which bars discrimination based on race, color or national origin.
“DEI initiatives and race-based hiring preferences in our schools violate federal anti-discrimination laws and undermine educational priorities,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Prosecutors cite the Des Moines Public Schools’ website, which states that the district aims to have its teaching staff reflect the student demographics and has set goals for increasing the number of teachers of color. It also highlights retention strategies that focus on creating supportive environments for staff of color and runs a program called the 3D Coalition to recruit aspiring minority teachers.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
