Des Moines Schools Superintendent Dr. Ian Roberts was arrested by U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents after he fled a traffic stop on Friday.
Roberts, 51, abandoned his car and fled into a nearby wooded area before being apprehended by ICE agents with the help of Iowa State Patrol officers.
The educator was in possession of a loaded handgun, a hunting knife and $3,000 in cash. He is being held at Woodbury County Jail in Sioux City.
Roberts described himself as a U.S. citizen on his job application.
The Des Moines Public Schools Board unanimously voted to place Roberts on paid leave.
He earned an annual base salary of $270,000.
In a statement on Saturday, September 27, Board President Jackie Norris said Roberts described himself as a U.S. citizen on his job application.
Norris said the school district only recently learned of a final removal order issued by a judge in 2024.
“We were not made aware of that fact, and that’s very concerning,” Norris said. “I want to be clear – no one here was aware of any citizenship or immigration issues that Dr. Roberts may have been facing.”
Roberts disclosed his arrest for possession of a hunting rifle when he was hired, a district spokesperson told CNN.
“This incident has created tremendous fear.”
In a 2022 Instagram post, Roberts wrote he was given a citation by a state game warden for having a loaded hunting rifle in the backseat of his vehicle.
Roberts said he didn’t have time to unload it and place it in a lockbox when the game warden approached his car.
He wrote that he was “confident in my decision not to unload a rifle in the presence of a law enforcement officer.”
Roberts was born in Guyana and entered the United States on a student visa. His visa expired in 2020, ICE officials said.
In 1998 he graduated from Coppin State University in Baltimore, where he served as a teacher and then a principal in Baltimore City Schools.
“I am awakened every day believing that each day gives me an opportunity to be a blessing to someone and leave an indelible impact on many people,” he said in a student profile.
Roberts was appointed superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district in July 2023.
While racing a group of elementary school students in 2024, the former Olympian finished second to an 11-year-old girl.
Photos from the race went viral on social media.
Roberts ran the 800 meters for Guyana in the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics.
ICE officials described the educator as a “criminal alien” and a public safety threat.
“How this illegal alien was hired without work authorization, a final order of removal, and a prior weapons charge is beyond comprehension and should alarm the parents of that school district,” ICE Enforcement Director Sam Olson said.
However, Norris said the superintendent was “an integral part of our school community” who “has shown up in ways big and small” for students and staff.
“It is a dark and unsettling time in our country. This incident has created tremendous fear for DMPS students, families, and staff,” Norris added.
Roberts will remain in DHS custody pending a deportation hearing.
