US Immigration Customs Enforcement (Ice) have detained the superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district.
Ian Roberts, the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS), was detained on Friday morning, according to the district’s board chair. “We have no confirmed information as to why Dr Roberts is being detained or the next potential steps,” said Jackie Norris, the DMPS board chair, in a press release on Friday. The district also named an interim superintendent.
Roberts appears to be held at the Pottawattamie county jail, about two hours west of Des Moines, according to the Ice online detainee database. The database also lists Roberts’ country of birth as Guyana.
In a statement to the Guardian, DHS said that Roberts was arrested because he had “a final order of removal and no work authorization”.
“During a targeted enforcement operation on Sept. 26, 2025, officers approached Roberts in his vehicle after identifying himself, but he sped away. Officers later discovered his vehicle abandoned near a wooded area. State Patrol assisted in locating the subject and he was taken into ICE custody,” the agency shared in a statement. “Roberts has existing weapon possession charges from February 5, 2020. Roberts entered the United States in 1999 on a student visa and was given a final order of removal by an immigration judge in May of 2024.”
In media interviews and biographies, Roberts has said he was raised in Brooklyn, New York by Guyanese immigrant parents. A 2023 statement from the district announcing Roberts’ appointment said he was “born to immigrant parents from Guyana, and spent most of his formative years in Brooklyn”.. In 2023, he became the first person of color to be named to the position of superintendent in Iowa’s largest school district. He is a former Olympic athlete who competed as a middle-distance runner for Guyana in the 2000 Sydney games.
Earlier this year, after Donald Trump’s administration removed restrictions on Ice officers searching schools, churches and other sensitive locations, Roberts and the leaders of other regional school districts issued guidelines for parents and families enrolled in public schools.
In a letter to parents, Roberts said that schools would comply with warrants from immigration officers, and that agents seeking information about students would be directed to administrators.
“Everyday Des Moines Public Schools does everything we can within our legal and moral authority to support students, which is always our top priority,” he said.
The district said it was awaiting updates on Roberts’ situation. “We know you have many questions, and we will provide updates as we learn more confirmed information. We thank you and appreciate your support,” said Norris.
This article was amended on 26 September 2025. An earlier version said Ian Roberts was born in Brooklyn based on past interviews. However, a 2023 statement from the district says he was “born to immigrant parents from Guyana, and spent most of his formative years in Brooklyn”.
