Des Moines, Iowa (AP) — Federal immigration agents targeted the well-received leader of Iowa’s largest school district at a traffic stop on Friday, arresting him after fleeing into the woods, leaving educators and community members behind.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency said that the principal of Des Moines Public Schools Ian Roberts was illegally in the country and was not permitted to work. Roberts, a native of Guyana, South America, was considered an ice fugitive as he was subject to a final removal order issued in 2024.
Ice said Roberts was the target of his arrest by launching a traffic stop on Friday while he was driving in a school-issued vehicle. After he escaped, officers discover that his car had been abandoned near a wooded area. He was eventually located and gained ice custody with the help of an Iowa patrol officer. It is unclear where Roberts was being held on Friday afternoons and whether he had a lawyer representing him.
District spokesman Phil Lauder said he was supposed to meet Roberts at a school event Friday morning, but he texted him that he couldn’t make it. Loader said he immediately received a video call from Roberts and saw officials restrain him.
Loader told The Associated Press the district “nothing suggests he is not a citizen.” The district said Friday afternoon that a third party was hired to conduct a comprehensive background check on Roberts, and that Roberts has completed the I-9. District officials also said they had no knowledge of the removal order issued in 2024.
Roberts, who has described himself as a longtime gun owner and hunter, had a handgun loaded at the time of his arrest, $3,000 in cash and a fixed-blade hunting knife, Ice said.
“This should be awakening call to our community for the amazing work our community does every day to remove the threats to public safety,” Sam Olson, official of Ice Enforcement and Removal Operations Area, said in a statement. “How this illegal alien was hired without a job permit, a final removal order, and a previous accusation of weapons is beyond understanding and should be wary of the parents of that school district.”
Roberts is an experienced educator
Des Moines area leaders said they are still gathering information about legally complicated circumstances. They described Roberts as a dynamic leader who connected with students from all backgrounds.
Jackie Norris, president of the School Board, said Roberts was “an integral part of our school community” and “showed in ways big and small.”
The 54-year-old leader of school districts across the country began his term as a school superintendent in July 2023 in Des Moines. In that position, he oversaw the district serving more than 30,000 students and nearly 5,000 employees. The state board of education issued a professional administrator license to Roberts in 2023, which is still active.
He earned a base salary of $270,000 a year, according to his initial contract with the district, which was effective until June 30th this year.
Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds recognized Roberts in custody Friday morning, according to her spokesman Mason Mauro. Reynolds was in contact with state and federal authorities.
In a joint statement, the union president representing Des Moines teachers and other school employees said he was shocked by Roberts’ detention. They said he was “a tremendous advocate for students, families, staff and the community.”
Before coming to Iowa, Roberts previously worked as a supervisor for the Mill Creek Town School District in Pennsylvania.
Roberts is the son of immigrant parents from Guyana.
A biographer of Roberts, listed on the district’s website, says he was born from Guyana to immigrant parents and spent much of his childhood in Brooklyn, New York.
The Coppin State University website features the profile of Roberts alumni who graduated from a Baltimore school in 1998. Roberts said his father moved to the United States in the 1980s and his mother moved in the early 2000s.
Ice said Roberts entered the United States in 1999 on a student visa. The following year he competed for Guyana in track and field.
Plead guilty to a gun violation
The ice refers to Roberts’ previous weapons claim, but no details were provided.
Pennsylvania court records show that Roberts illegally admitted to the violation and penalized court costs in January 2022 for illegally owning a firearm loaded into a vehicle, and in addition to $100. The incident arising from a quote in Erie County was published the previous month by a Pennsylvania Game Board officer.
Roberts said at the time he was a longtime licensed hunter and gun owner, leaving his hunting rifle in his car seat in mediocre views, feeling that officers weren’t threatened during the interaction. He said he was shocked when officers cited him for doing so, but pleaded guilty to avoid distraction. He wondered if his dark skin played a role in the incident.
“You might think I’m not the type of guy who enjoys deer season in Pennsylvania. In fact, I’ve been hunting for over 20 years,” Roberts wrote in a social media post.
Lauder said the district was aware of the 2022 charges and was being addressed early on.
It was the second time in two days that iced aggressive behavior shocked local Iowa officials. On Thursday, an agent dressed in plain clothes that only identified himself to a man at a grocery store in downtown Iowa City, pinned him to the floor and handcuffed him as shocked shoppers were watching.
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Associated Press Writer Ryan J. Foley from Iowa City, Iowa, contributed to this report.
