Des Moines Public Schools’ Superintendent Arrested by ICE—and Resigns
Dr. Ian Roberts, who had led the public schools in Iowa’s largest city for two years, was arrested by Immigration and Customs’ Enforcement on September 26 due to being ineligible to work in the United States of America. Roberts was placed on an unpaid leave, then decided to resign.
Nothing about this story is simple. Roberts was born in Guyana, but had lived in America since he was a child. He went to Coppin State in Maryland, competed in track and field at a high level, and developed a prestigious career leading school systems. This was not someone hiding away in the shadows. His hiring as head of Des Moines Public Schools was led by a corporate search firm. He had produced documentation that he was a citizen and eligible to work in America.
However, he did have an extremely minor gun charge on his record (carrying a rifle on hunting land when he shouldn’t have), and he had lied about h…