DES MOINES, Iowa (BN24) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Friday arrested Ian Roberts, the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, on a deportation order that dates back to 2024, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed.
Roberts, who emigrated from Guyana on a student visa in 1999, was detained after federal authorities said he attempted to flee from ICE officers. DHS reported that Roberts abandoned his vehicle near a wooded area before being apprehended with assistance from the Iowa State Patrol. Officials said he was carrying a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash, and a fixed-blade hunting knife at the time of his arrest. Federal law prohibits immigrants without legal status from possessing firearms.
The agency also cited a 2020 weapons charge against Roberts but provided no details about the case. A representative for Roberts could not be reached for comment.
His arrest comes as President Donald Trump continues to expand a sweeping crackdown on immigration enforcement across the United States, targeting individuals with outstanding deportation orders and stripping work permits from thousands with temporary legal status.
Immigration enforcement in and around schools has become a flashpoint under Trump’s policies. His administration reversed Obama-era restrictions that limited ICE actions near educational facilities, though arrests on school grounds remain rare.
Jackie Norris, chair of the Des Moines School Board, confirmed Roberts’ arrest but said the board had no additional information about the legal process or what may happen next. “Our priority is to provide a safe, secure and outstanding education for all students and to support our students, families and employees,” she said in a statement.
Des Moines, a city of about 214,000, has seen its immigrant population grow in recent years, though it still falls slightly below the national average, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Roberts’ case underscores the heightened risks for immigrants under Trump’s second-term enforcement agenda, which has sought to significantly expand deportations nationwide.
