BUZZ
Key Takeaways
- Ian Andre Roberts, superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, was arrested by ICE for being in the U.S. illegally, following a car chase where authorities found $3,000 in cash, a hunting knife, and a loaded Glock 19 in his vehicle.
- Roberts, who previously held a valid employment authorization that expired in 2020, has an outstanding weapons possession charge and was ordered deported last year but had his case declined for reopening in April.
- Despite having held prestigious educational roles and being recognized as a significant community advocate, Roberts' hiring raised questions after a comprehensive background check did not reveal his illegal status.
- The incident has prompted discussions about the implications for students, particularly from marginalized groups, and criticism of the school district's oversight in hiring practices.
UPDATED
The superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district who allegedly is in the country illegally was arrested Friday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
According to Fox News.com, Ian Roberts of the Des Moines Public Schools led ICE agents on a car chase, abandoned his vehicle, but eventually was tracked down a short distance away.
In Roberts’ car agents found $3,000 in cash, a hunting knife, and a loaded Glock 19. He was “taken into custody on a fugitive warrant” as he was “not legally authorized to work in the U.S. after his employment authorization card expired in 2020.”
Roberts also has an outstanding “weapons possession” charge from 2020.
Authorities said Roberts originally entered the U.S. illegally, but got a student visa in 1999 to attend St. John’s University. A judge ordered him deported in May of last year, but this past April another judge declined to reopen his case.
The Des Moines Register notes Roberts was born in Guyana and even competed on its Olympic track and field team in the 2000 Sydney Summer Games.
Des Moines Public Schools School Board Chair Jackie Norris, former chief of staff to Michelle Obama who’s now running for a U.S. Senate seat, said at a Friday-afternoon press conference “We do not have all the facts. There is much we do not know. However, what we do know is Dr. Roberts has been an integral part of our school community since he joined two years ago.”
How did Roberts get hired in the first place?
According to a Friday ICE press release, Roberts had been working in education “without work authorization, [and with] a final order of removal and a prior weapons charge.”
A 2023 Des Moines Register article notes Roberts was the “first person of color” to hold the Des Moines Public Schools superintendent position. He previously served as superintendent in western Pennsylvania’s Millcreek Township School District and the St. Louis Public Schools High School Network.
Roberts also held positions as “chief schools officer, superintendent of secondary schools, a principal and senior vice president of a charter management organization” in Baltimore, the Bronx, and Washington DC.
Des Moines Public Schools Director of Communications and Public Affairs Phil Roeder said in a statement that “a third-party comprehensive background check had been conducted on Roberts and he would have been required to verify employment eligibility for all employees.”
Roeder said “In this case, Dr. Roberts completed the I-9 employment eligibility verification form and submitted the required documentation,” and added the district “had no knowledge of Roberts’ order of removal.”
Board Chair Norris noted Roberts “received a valid license from the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners in 2023” and that there’s “new information that has been made public”; however, the board “has not yet been able to verify additional details.”
The Directors Council, “an umbrella group of several nonprofits focused on Des Moines’ Black community,” said in a statement Roberts is a “trusted partner, a dedicated advocate for equity, and an unwavering supporter of families and youth.”
Des Moines Refugees Support founder Alison Hoeman said her phone “blew up” with messages from people asking how they could help out the superintendent.
“You know it’s the Black and Brown kids who are worried,” Hoeman said. “If it’s Ian Roberts who’s in trouble, what does that mean for them?”
Democratic Iowa Representative Larry McBurney called Roberts’ arrest “not only unacceptable” but an “outright disgrace”: “Our schools should never be treated as political battlegrounds for federal overreach.”
On the other hand, Republican Iowa Senator and gubernatorial candidate Mike Bousselot asked of the school district “How does this happen? How does the biggest school district miss the red flags?”
UPDATE: The Des Moines School Board held an emergency meeting on Saturday (below) re: Superintendent Roberts. The big takeaway: He will be on paid leave pending “further information.”
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