Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts Detained by ICE

Federal immigration agents took Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Andre Roberts into custody on September 26, 2025, after a pursuit that ended with him hiding in nearby brush. Authorities discovered a loaded Glock 19 handgun, a fixed-blade hunting knife, and $3,000 in cash inside the vehicle he abandoned—a car provided by the school district.

Roberts, a native of Guyana who entered the United States on a student visa in 1999, had overstayed his legal welcome, with his employment authorization expiring in 2020 and a deportation order issued in absentia in May 2024. A subsequent motion to reopen his case was denied by an immigration judge in Dallas in April 2025.

Roberts' background includes a prior weapons possession charge from February 2020, stemming from an arrest by Port Authority police in New York. Despite this history, he rose through the ranks in education, working in districts across New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and St. Louis before landing the top job in Iowa's largest school system in July 2023. His hiring followed a nationwide search, where district officials praised his alignment with community values drawn from input by staff, parents, students, and residents. Roberts also represented Guyana as a middle-distance runner in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, adding a layer of public prominence to his profile.

Read More: https://patriot.tv/illegal-alien-with-gun-charges-and-a-deportation-order-was-des-moines-public-school-superintendent-until-ice-found-him/