For the past two years, Ian Roberts was the superintendent for the Des Moines Public School District. He was widely respected and valued by his community. It came as a shock to many people to find out Roberts had been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on September 26, 2025 for illegally living in the United States.
“The manner they did it [detainment] in was very publicized. It didn’t need to be that way. He was such a symbol for the kids and knowing he got taken for being an illegal [immigrant] can scar them for life,” Niko Meshesha ‘27 said.
Roberts is originally from Guyana, South America. He initially came to the U.S. in 1999 on a student visa that was set to expire in 2004. Then he received a work visa that would expire in 2020. Roberts claimed to have received his doctorate from Morgan State University in Maryland, although it was confirmed by the school district he did not complete his education. His final order of removal awas issued May 2024, however, he remained in the U.S. Before becoming a superintendent, Roberts had a lengthy criminal record including drug possession and several weapon charges. The school district claims they were only aware of Roberts’ minor firearm charge and not the older, major offenses. The school district has filed a lawsuit against the search firm, JG Consulting, that had failed at a proper background check…