Exposed per $3k & gun Des Moines Superintendent

Ian Roberts, a school Des Moines Superintendent was arrested on an alleged removal order, possession of weapons, and questions about immigration status by ICE.

ICE / DHS official documents and additional information.

• ICE issued a press release with a title of ICE arrests criminal alien that works as Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent; previous weapons charges and found carrying loaded handgun at arrest.

 

1. The release states that Ian Andre Roberts is a criminal illegal alien of Guyana and was arrested when employed as superintendent though he had no work authorization and had a final order of removal.
2.  It says that in a targeted enforcement operation, officers approached Roberts in his car, after identifying themselves, but Roberts hastened away. Later, Roberts was found abandoned in a wooded location with his vehicle, and state police assisted in the location and arrest of Roberts by ICE.
3.  ICE purports a loaded handgun, $3,000 dollars in cash, and a fixed-blade hunting knife at the time of arrest.
4. They mention Roberts possessing weapon charges, which happened on the 5 th of February, 2020.
5. There is also the ICE statement that the inquiry into the way Roberts seized the handgun is handed over to the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives).

• The ICE press release characterizes the arrest as a priority of the law-enforcement:

This suspect was caught with a loaded weapon in a vehicle supplied by the Des Moines Public Schools after evading federal law enforcement forces … This should be a wake-up call …”

• The immigration history of Roberts in the narrative of ICE:

1. ICE says that he arrived in the U.S. in 1999, with a student visa.
2. In May 2024, an immigration judge gave him a final order of removal.

• There is an assertion that Roberts was employed in a position where he had no legal permission to work which is a key aspect on the justification of ICE.
• The ICE release also gives certain attention to the safety of the community, with references to the possession of weapons and presenting this as the implementation of immigration and gun control regulations.

Background of Roberts and response of school district.

• Career & biography

1. Roberts was raised in Brooklyn, New York (and part of Guyana).
2. He has worked in education (teacher, administrator, superintendent) in various states, including Pennsylvania.
3. He represented Guyana as a middle distance runner at the 2000 Olympics.
4. In July 2023, he joined Des Moines Public Schools (the largest district in Iowa) as a superintendent.

• Earlier legal issues

1. In 2022, Roberts admitted to a misdemeanor gun crime in Pennsylvania (possession of a loaded firearm in a car) and was fined.
2. A previous weapons charge dated February 5, 2020, is also mentioned by ICE.

• Responses / defense of District.

1.  According to the Des Moines Public Schools, Roberts was interviewed by the time of hiring, which involved a thorough background check, Roberts was administered an I-9 form (a form used to determine the eligibility to work).
2. The district says it had no idea of an order of removal, and no clue of his immigration issues.
3. The district officials in the press conferences accept the legal intricacies of the situation and claimed that they could not answer most questions at the moment.
4. The school board appeared to invoke its succession plan of leaders in which Matt Smith, the Associate Superintendent, was appointed as interim superintendent.
5. The district arranged a special board meeting (part of which was closed session) to deliberate on the status of Roberts.

• Public records / listings

1. Roberts was temporarily registered in the online detainee locator at ICE as being detained at the Pottawattamie County Jail.
2. At the end of the day, Roberts had disappeared on the ICE detainee locator.
3. At some stage, some media observe that he was detained in the Woodbury County Jail.

Community / political / organizational response / outcome.

• Protests & public outcry

1. By mid-afternoon, 100+ were outside the Neal Smith Federal Building in downtown Des Moines protesting with signs such as Free Dr. Roberts and No justice, no peace.
2. The attendance of the crowd exceeded 200, with teachers (both DMPS and others) and students, and other community enthusiasts.
3. Other participants carried signs that called on the protection of immigrant communities and denounced the activities of ICE.
4. Hundreds of people gathered together in solidarity at a service at Corinthian Baptist Church in Des Moines, where clergy and activists gave speeches.

• Statements by unions, education groups.

1. The Iowa State Education Association and Des Moines Education Association released a joint statement declaring Roberts a gigantic supporter of students, families, staff, and the community and describing their shock.
2. Board Chairman Jackie Norris of the district said Roberts had been a key part of the community, and that the board was acting on limited information.

• Political responses

1. Iowa politicians and voices around the nation entered the fray. Others applauded the enforcement of ICE; others were of the opinion that the school leader should not have been targeted.
2. GOP Rep. Randy Feenstra was reported as saying, “Thank God the Superintendent is in custody courtesy of ICE … Children should never be anywhere near him.
3. Rep. Zach Nunn mirrored the support of law enforcement and told him that this highlights why we need to fix our broken immigration system.

• Concerns & criticisms

1. Various members of the community were scared by this arrest, particularly the immigrant families and employees who believed that this arrest was an indicator of stepped-up enforcement in sensitive or wide-open areas (e.g. schools).
2. The statement that the district was previously vetted and Roberts is an I-9, critics claim, makes ICE storytelling harder.
3. Others indicate the possible chilling effect on the role of public service in immigrant communities or mixed-status communities where a person holding a high education post is arrested.

• Operational / administrative effect.

1. Roberts is in custody, and the district leadership is in the interim with Matt Smith handling the situation, and the board weighing this option and administrative leave.
2. The background check third party is said to be in progress to further evaluate the history of Roberts and any discrepancies.
3. The board has called a special meeting (some not open to anyone) to discuss his position at work.

• Attention of media / education sector.

1. This case is being discussed in education publications as a potential precedent-setting case of conflict between immigration enforcement and school district leadership positions.
2. According to some outlets, it is unusual that ICE conducted an enforcement operation against a public school superintendent because traditionally, there have been cautious approaches to schools.

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