The Chief Inspector of the Moines Public Schools – the largest school district of Iowa – was held on Friday morning by immigration agents, according to the Department of Homeland Security, which said that the educator was illegal in the country and had existing weapons possession.
Superintendent Ian Roberts – an educator with dozens of years of experience who previously competed as an Olympic athlete for Guyana – was arrested as part of an “targeted enforcement operation” and fled after American immigration and customs enforcement officers, according to statements by DHS and the Ioawa Department of PublicT.
DHS said that he “was in possession of a loaded gun, $ 3,000 in cash and a fixed knife -hunting knife” at the time of his arrest. It is a violation of the federal law to possess a firearm and ammunition if a person has no legal status in the US.
CNN is working on identifying Roberts' lawyer.
The school district and DHS presented grimly different portraits of Roberts. DHS described him as a “criminal alien” and suggested that he was a threat of public safety. But except for a press conference after his arrest, the chairman of the Moines Public Schools Jackie Norris said that the superintendent “was an integral part of our school community” who “appeared in a way in a way that is big and small” for students and staff.
The arrest stimulated a protest outside the federal courthouse in the Moines. “Education, not from deportation / free Dr. Roberts,” read a sign worn by a demonstrator, according to images of CNN branches KCCI.
The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners has issued Roberts a permit to serve as a superintendent in the State in July 2023, according to Norris.
“There is new information that was made public that we did not know, and we were unable to verify,” said Norris.
Roberts supervised more than 30,000 students in the Des Moines Public School system, according to the website of the district, and had previously worked in public schools throughout the country.
Another manager, Matt Smith, has meanwhile taken on the role of interim superintendent, according to a message that was previously placed on social media on social media.
“Our priority is to offer safe, safe and excellent training for all students and to support our students, families and employees,” said the statement.
The arrest of Roberts comes in the midst of the constant action of the Trump government against immigration, which has seen raids in workplaces and arrests of community pillars, including a firefighter, a journalist and a pastor.
Superintendent received the final order of removal in 2024, says DHS
Roberts arrived at a student visa in 1999 and received a definitive order of removal by an immigration judge in May 2024, according to the DHS declaration. He had existing weapon costs from 2020, the desk added.
Des Moines Public Schools said it was not aware of the order of removal, but Roberts informed the school board about a firearms related to a hunting gun during his recruitment process. The district said in a statement that Roberts “gave sufficient context and explanation of the situation to continue in the recruitment process.”
Public data shows that Roberts argued for a arms tax in Pennsylvania in 2022. CNN has not been able to verify whether Roberts has a separate indictment from 2020.
The district also said that Roberts has submitted an eligible verification form and an I-9 as part of the recruitment process.
“The district has not been formally informed by ICE about this issue, nor have we been able to talk to Dr. Roberts since his detention,” said district spokesperson Phil Roeder.
Ice enforcement and disposal operations St. Paul Field Office director Sam Olson said in a statement that Robertson's arrest should be a “Wake-up call for our communities for the great work that our officers do every day to remove public safety threats.”
ICE's online detained locator system shows that Roberts was born in Guyana and is being held in a prison in a provincial prison in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
According to the website of the district, Roberts was named the Moines Public Schools Superintendent in 2023. He was “born of immigrant parents from Guyana and spent most of his forming years in Brooklyn, NY”, the website is.
Before the educator became, the superintendent was an Olympic athlete and he participated in Baan en Veld at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
Roberts' long educational career included positions in New York City; Baltimore; Washington, DC; St. Louis; Oakland, California; And Erie, Pennsylvania, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Among the crowd that protested against Roberts' arrest on Friday was district teacher Mary Pat Lamair, who said she was enthusiastic to see the screening of support.
“I just think it's very important that we take care of each other, and we seem to be in a place where that is not what happens,” Lamair told CNN branch KCCI. She added: “It is important for people to know that the general public, I think, is not right with what is happening.”
The Directors Council – a non -profit group that served the black community of des Moines – identified Roberts as a board member and offered him their “full support” in a message on Facebook.
Roberts “has been a trusted partner, a dedicated advocate for equity and a relentless proponent of families and young people in Polk County,” De Post reads. “His contributions to both the director Council and the wider community are immeasurable and we are at this uncertain moment.”
In a video report on their Facebook page, the organizers of the Iowa movement for Migrant Justice said that the news about the detention of the superintendent was shocking and scary for immigrant communities.
“We know in advance that our families are currently afraid that if they pick up their children, when they send them to school, if immigrant agents go and get their children from school,” said Elizabeth Balcarcel in the video report. “There are many questions, many doubts.”
The Des Moines School Board has planned a special meeting with a closed session on Saturday to discuss Roberts' arrest and status in the district.
CNN's Catherine Shoichet has contributed to this report.
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