Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday, authorities confirmed. ICE says Roberts was living in the U.S. illegally and had a final removal order issued in May 2024.
According to ICE, when agents approached Roberts during a traffic stop, he fled in a school-issued vehicle. The car was later found abandoned near a wooded area. Investigators discovered a loaded Glock handgun, a fixed-blade hunting knife, and $3,000 in cash in the vehicle.
Roberts also faces prior weapon-possession charges stemming from a case in February 2020. Federal officials point out that undocumented individuals are prohibited by law from holding firearms. Roberts entered the U.S. in 1999 on a student visa, ICE says, and had no valid work authorization when hired as superintendent.
In response, the Des Moines School Board voted unanimously to place him on paid administrative leave while the district evaluates the situation. Associate Superintendent Matt Smith was named interim head. District officials maintain they conducted thorough background checks during Roberts’ hiring and were unaware of any removal order.
The arrest has sparked a broader debate over school district hiring practices, oversight of immigration enforcement, and how someone without legal status and with past weapon charges secured a high-level educational post.