The Arrest of Dr. Ian Roberts - When ICE Shakes Iowa’s Largest School District

It was an ordinary Friday morning in Des Moines, the capital of Iowa, until the news spread that struck the school system and the community like a shock: Dr. Ian Roberts, superintendent of the Des Moines Public Schools, was arrested by ICE officers. The man who stood at the top of the largest school district in the state, responsible for more than 30,000 students and 5,000 employees, was said by the authorities to have been in the country “illegally.” The staging looked like a police movie: a traffic stop, a brief flight into a wooded area, an abandoned service vehicle. Finally the seizure - Roberts, 54 years old, son of Guyanese immigrants, was led away in handcuffs, taken to Woodbury County Jail, and hit by ICE with accusations that could hardly sound more serious: no work authorization, a removal order from 2024, a past that supposedly leaves questions. For many the arrest came out of nowhere.

The district’s spokesperson, Phil Roeder, received a short message in the morning: Roberts could not make an appointment. Minutes later he saw via video call how the superintendent was taken away by officers. “We have never seen even a sign that he was not a US citizen,” Roeder said. The school had hired an external company to conduct a comprehensive background check, Roberts had duly filled out an I-9 form that requires proof of work authorization. Nobody knew anything about a supposed removal order. All the harder the images hit the school community. Unions of teachers and employees reacted with a joint statement in which they praised Roberts’ compassion for all students “as a beacon of light in one of the most diverse districts in the state.” Jackie Norris, president of the school board, spoke of an “integral part of our community.” But ICE put another narrative into the world. Sam Olson, a regional leader of the agency, declared in a statement that Roberts’ case was a wake-up call. That someone with a removal order, without work authorization and “with a prior weapons offense” could lead a district of this size was “incomprehensible” and a safety risk for parents and children. During the arrest Roberts was said to have had a loaded pistol, 3,000 dollars in cash and a hunting knife with him.

The contradictions are obvious. Yes, in 2022 Roberts paid a fine of 100 dollars in Pennsylvania for a hunting violation - a trifle that was itself classified in the judgment as an infraction. Roberts himself wrote at the time that he had left his rifle openly in the car to give a game warden no reason for concern. Instead he received a ticket that he accepted “to avoid any distraction.” He hinted that his skin color might also have played a role. The man’s biography reads differently from the picture ICE now paints. Born in Brooklyn as the son of Guyanese parents, Roberts studied in Baltimore, even represented his country of origin at the 2000 Olympic Games in track and field. For more than two decades he worked in school administrations across the country, most recently as superintendent in Pennsylvania before coming to Iowa in 2023. There he received a professional license from the state, which is still valid. His contract secured him an annual salary of 270,000 dollars. Nothing pointed to a man who in the eyes of the federal agency was a “fugitive illegal.” The sudden escalation joins a series of sensational raids. Just the day before ICE officers in Iowa City had brutally overwhelmed a man in a supermarket - in civilian clothes, only with the note “federal agents.” Customers reported a shock moment that felt like a scene from a surveillance state. Now the arrest of a respected school director. Outside on the streets the protest did not fail to appear. On Friday evening people gathered in front of the federal building in Des Moines to demand Roberts’ release. Citizens also took to the streets in Iowa City. The anger was directed not only against ICE, but against a system that seizes in the middle of everyday life, destroys existences and rips people out of their lives without regard to their role in society.

The political dimension did not take long. Governor Kim Reynolds was informed, according to her spokesperson she was in contact with federal authorities. But whether she stands behind the superintendent or the federal police remained open. The case raises a disturbing question: How can it be that someone with a state-issued license, with a verified work contract and public office suddenly counts as an “illegal threat”? For the schools in Des Moines a vacuum remains. A superintendent who was a role model for many students from migrant families is in custody. An entire district wonders how it should continue under these conditions. And a nation must ask itself what it means when the state not only targets people without papers, but also the heads of their institutions. The case of Ian Roberts is more than an arrest. It is a mirror: for the hardness of a system, for the fear of a community - and for the question whether law in America still means protection or has long since become a weapon.

Reactions from residents and politics

Neighbors in the area reported that things became chaotic around 8 a.m.

“Suddenly I hear ‘Come out with your hands up,’ and as a single parent that shook me,” said resident Taylor Willis.

“This is usually a quiet neighborhood, but in the last six months this was not the first time something like this has happened here,” Willis added.

The office of Governor Kim Reynolds released a statement Friday afternoon: “Governor Reynolds was informed this morning that Ian Roberts was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and is in contact with the Iowa Department of Public Safety and federal authorities.”

The Iowa State Education Association and the Des Moines Education Association also released a statement Friday afternoon:

“We were shocked to hear of the arrest of Dr. Ian Roberts by officers of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) early this morning. Since his hiring as superintendent of the Des Moines Public Schools we have known Dr. Roberts as a tremendous advocate for students, families, staff, and the community. His leadership and compassion for all students, regardless of background, identity, or origin, are a beacon of light in one of the most diverse school districts in the state.

It is a dark and unsettling time in our country. This incident has created enormous fear among the students, families, and staff of DMPS.

We call on the community to come together and support each other.”