Immigration officers detained the superintendent of the Des Moines public schools district, Ian Roberts, the morning of Sept. 26, according to district officials.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement that Roberts was allegedly in possession of a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash, and a fixed-blade hunting knife. Agency officials said that Roberts allegedly was in the country illegally with a final order of removal and no work authorization, and that he was detained during a targeted enforcement operation in Des Moines.
In a statement late Friday, school district officials said the board retained JG Consulting to conduct a search for a superintendent and identified Roberts as a candidate. Baker-Eubanks conducted a third-party comprehensive background check. Roberts was hired to lead Iowa’s largest school district in 2023.
District officials added that Roberts completed the I-9 employment eligibility verification form and submitted the required documentation. In an afternoon press conference, Jackie Norris, the school board president said that Roberts has held educational leadership positions in districts across the United States for 20 years. She added that the Iowa board of educational examiners issued Roberts a license to serve as superintendent in the state of Iowa in July 2023.
In response to the statement from ICE, district officials said that they did not have any knowledge of the order of removal.
In response to the ICE allegation of a loaded gun found in a district vehicle provided to Roberts, district officials said weapons are prohibited on school grounds or at a school-sponsored or school-related activity.
They added that Roberts has a previous firearm charge related to a hunting rifle, which he disclosed to the board during the hiring process.
“He provided sufficient context and explanation of the situation to move forward in the hiring process. He has also spoken publicly about this experience,” district officials said.
Later, district officials said “the district has not been formally notified by ICE about this matter, nor have we been able to talk with Dr. Roberts since his detention.”
They added that “this is an emerging situation and there is information we do not know and information we have not been able to verify.”
While Roberts appeared in the ICE detainee locator early Friday afternoon as being held at the Pottawattamie County Jail in western Iowa, he no longer appeared in the locator as of Friday at 5 p.m. ET.
Prior to his position in Des Moines, Roberts was the superintendent of Millcreek Township School District in Pennsylvania, and before that, led the St. Louis Public Schools High School Network, according to his LinkedIn page.
Roberts is the first person of color to lead Des Moines schools, according to the Des Moines Register.
The Des Moines district enrolls more than 30,000 students across more than 60 schools. More than 100 languages or dialects are spoken throughout the district, the district’s spokesperson has previously told Education Week.
The Des Moines district board said in a statement that Matt Smith, an associate superintendent, will serve as interim superintendent effective immediately.
The School Administrators of Iowa, SAI, said it is aware of Roberts’ arrest.
“We want to assure the community that we are already in contact with Associate Superintendent Matt Smith, who has stepped into the role of interim superintendent, to offer our support,” the statement said. “In this moment of uncertainty, SAI is committed to providing the DMPS leadership with the practical and emotional support they need. While the facts are still emerging, our priority is to be a stabilizing resource and assist the district as the situation unfolds.”
Though a Vermont superintendent was detained at an airport by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol for 5 hours in July, there haven’t been cases of superintendents arrested by ICE within the last 5 years, according to an EdWeek analysis of local news reports.
