The first Black superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, Ian Roberts, was detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday, Sept. 26. According to the Federal Officials and the Iowa Department of Public Safety, the Brooklyn-raised son of two Guyanese immigrant parents fled ICE agents in a “targeted enforcement operation,” as labeled by the Department of Homeland Security. At the time of his arrest, Roberts had abandoned his car, which held a loaded gun, a hunting knife and $3,000 in cash. As of Oct. 2, Roberts has been charged with being an illegal alien in possession of firearms.
Roberts was taken into custody by the U.S. Department of Justice on a federal warrant for his arrest. Despite the ongoing development on the background and case of Roberts, hundreds of Des Moines residents and students gathered outside the Neal Smith Federal building on the corner of Second Avenue and Locust Street to protest his detainment the day of his arrest.
Christopher Ramirez-Chavez, a first-year student at Drake and graduate of East High School, attended the protest…