Des Moines Superintendent Ian Roberts Detained by ICE

Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Ian Roberts was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday after agents say he fled from a targeted operation; the district confirmed his detention and named Associate Superintendent Matt Smith interim while it investigates. Authorities say Roberts sped away, abandoned his vehicle near woods in southwest Iowa, and was found about 200 yards away with the assistance of an Iowa State Patrol K-9. Agents reported finding a loaded handgun, a fixed‑blade hunting knife and roughly $3,000 in the vehicle; Roberts previously faced a weapons-related arrest in 2020. Records and media reports say Roberts, who was born in Guyana and entered the U.S. on a student visa, was issued a final order of removal in May 2024 and that filings to reopen his case were denied earlier in 2025, and questions remain about whether his work authorization had lapsed. Roberts, a former Baltimore-area educator and founding principal who once competed for Guyana in the 2000 Olympics, has drawn community protests—dozens gathered at the Federal Building in Des Moines to condemn his arrest. ICE and DHS have not released full details about the operation, and the school board says it will provide updates as they become available.