Federal agents searched Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts’ home and seized items, hours after his arrest by immigration authorities, according to neighbors and federal officials.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confirmed to the Des Moines Register it executed a federal search warrant Friday, Sept. 26, in the vicinity of Roberts’ southeast Des Moines residence near Easter Lake.
Neighbors told the Register that officers forced their way inside and carried out evidence from Roberts’ home around 8 p.m., about 12 hours after Roberts was arrested.
“They broke into the door, took some of the stuff from his house,” said neighbor Suresh Gazmer, who lives next door with his family. “They were like, banging the doors. And, you know, my daughters were crying. I mean, what’s going on here? It was a scary moment.”
Videos shared with the Register show agents with flashlights moving through the property in tactical gear while emergency lights reflected off the house.
On Monday, Sept. 29, damage from forced entry remained visible on the front door, and at least three exterior cameras appear to have been knocked down or disconnected.
Gazmer said there were no sirens as officers moved in and out of the house, and that many neighbors didn’t even realize what was happening.
“I only saw the flashing lights, and then, I believe that they turned the flashing light off because they just don’t want a lot of people to know what’s going on in the neighborhood,” he said. Several neighbors also said they were unaware of any law enforcement activity that night or even that Roberts lived on their street.
Federal officials said Roberts, 54, fled from a traffic stop Friday morning before abandoning a district-issued vehicle. Inside, agents said they found a loaded handgun, about $3,000 in cash and a hunting knife. He was taken into custody later that morning in what Department of Homeland Security officials described as a “targeted enforcement” action.
“The investigation into how Roberts acquired the handgun is being turned over to the ATF,” DHS said in a news release. “It is a violation of federal law for those in the U.S. without legal status to possess a firearm and ammunition.”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Roberts posed a public safety threat.
“This suspect was arrested in possession of a loaded weapon in a vehicle provided by Des Moines Public Schools after fleeing federal law enforcement,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations St. Paul Field Office Director Sam Olson in a news release.
ICE also thanked the Iowa State Patrol for its role in the arrest, and neighbors said they saw troopers on the scene during both the arrest and the nighttime raid. Des Moines Police also provided two detectives to assist the ATF, according to DMPD Public Information Officer Sgt. Paul Parizek.
Roberts, a native of Guyana, has lived in the United States since arriving on an F-1 student visa in 1999, according to ICE.
Federal officials said a court issued a final order of removal in May 2024, making him subject to deportation.
Community response to his arrest has been divided, with some officials framing him as a safety risk. “He should be deported immediately,” U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson wrote on X soon after the arrest.
Others, like Gazmer, said the raid and the allegations do not match the neighbor they knew.
“Never had any problem,” he said. “He’s very kind to my kids. He would always wave as soon as he pulled up to the neighborhood, he slows down his car. He’s a very, very nice guy.”
Gazmer said he was confident Roberts mostly lived alone. “I have never, ever, ever seen anyone going in and out of his house,” he said. “This is completely surprised for me. There is never, ever nothing suspicious, none of that. He’s a business guy. We felt very safe to be his neighbor. Very safe.”
The arrest has become one of the highest-profile cases in the country and sent shockwaves through Iowa’s largest school district.
DMPS placed Roberts on paid administrative leave Sept. 27. On Monday, the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners revoked his administrator license, prompting the board to prepare action to move him to unpaid leave. On Tuesday, his lawyers said he would resign from his post.
Nick El Hajj is a reporter at the Register. He can be reached at nelhajj@gannett.com. Follow him on X at @nick_el_hajj.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Federal agents searched Des Moines superintendent Ian Roberts’ home after ICE arrest
Reporting by Nick El Hajj, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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