BURSTAn Iowa superintendent who was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last week was placed on unpaid leave after his education license was revoked by the state’s Board of Educational Examiners.
Superintendent Ian Roberts, who started his current job at the Des Moines Public Schools in 2023, was unanimously voted to be placed on unpaid leave Monday by the school board after ICE said he has a removal order by a judge from 2024 and a previous weapons charge and had attempted to flee from law enforcement.
The federal government said when Roberts was caught he had a loaded handgun, which is illegal for noncitizens, $3,000 in cash and a knife.
Roberts came to the U.S. on a student visa in 1999 and is from Guyana. He held previous education roles in Pennsylvania.
The school district said it thought Roberts was a legal citizen and originally put him on paid leave Saturday. Without word from his lawyer to contradict the Trump administration’s allegations, the school board will move to fire Roberts on Tuesday.
“New information and confirmed facts will continue to inform our decisions as we develop a path forward,” said Jackie Norris, chair of the school board. “Two things can be true at the same time — Dr. Roberts was an effective and well-respected leader and there are serious questions related to his citizenship and ability to legally perform his duties as superintendent.”