The Des Moines Public School Board in Iowa has placed its Superintendent, Guyanese-born Ian Roberts, on paid administrative leave following his arrest by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Friday.
At a special meeting on Saturday, the board voted to suspend Roberts, who was hired last year on a US$286,716 contract. He has since retained the Parrish-Cridoneer law firm for legal representation.
ICE, in a statement, described Roberts as a “criminal illegal alien” from Guyana. The agency said he first entered the United States in 1999 on a student visa, and that an immigration judge issued a final order of removal in May 2024. At the time of his arrest, ICE claimed Roberts was found with a loaded handgun, US$3,000 in cash, and a hunting knife. It added that he already faced weapon possession charges dating back to February 2020. That part of the investigation, officials said, has been referred to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
School Board Chair Jackie Norris said the board was blindsided by the arrest. “I want to be clear, no one here was aware of any citizenship or immigration issues that Dr Roberts may have been facing,” she said in a video posted on X.
Norris defended the district’s hiring process, noting that Roberts filled out the required I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form and “affirmed that he was a citizen who was eligible to work in the school district.” She explained that an outside search firm conducted a full background check, which “found nothing related to citizenship or immigration matters,” and that the Iowa Department of Education issued Roberts a superintendent license after an FBI check in 2023.
She urged the community to avoid inflaming the situation. “Cool down the rhetoric,” Norris said, warning against “misinformation” that could harm students “who are online 24/7.”
According to his official biography, Roberts studied at Coppin State University, St John’s University, Georgetown University, and Trident University, and also earned certificates from Harvard. He is a former athlete who represented Guyana at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and at the World Championships in Japan and Spain.
