(This story was updated to add new information.)
The nation turned its attention to Des Moines after the arrest of then-Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for allegedly being in the United States illegally.
The dramatic account of his arrest and the ensuing details released by federal officials in the days since — alleging that the 54-year-old longtime educator with decades of experience in school districts across the country overstayed a visa from his days at St. John’s University in 1999 and had at least two run-ins with law enforcement since then on weapons offenses — have left many throughout Iowa’s largest school district and beyond puzzled.
Here’s a timeline of events leading up to and after the arrest of Roberts.
When was Ian Roberts arrested by ICE?
Roberts received a court-issued “final order of removal” for his deportation in May 2024, according to Department of Homeland Security officials. In April 2025, an immigration judge in Dallas decided not to reopen the case in absentia.
Roberts was arrested by ICE agents with assistance from the Iowa State Patrol in a “targeted enforcement operation” around 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 26. Roberts allegedly had a firearm, hunting knife and $3,000 cash in his possession. The DHS said he tried to flee agents before his capture.
In a message posted to Facebook at 12:42 p.m., Des Moines School Board Chair Jackie Norris confirmed the arrest and announced that Associate Superintendent Matt Smith will serve as interim superintendent.
At 6:45 p.m., Iowa House Government Oversight Committee Chair Rep. Charley Thomson, R-Charles City, wrote in a letter posted on Facebook to Smith directing the district to “preserve all documents and evidence” related to the citizenship allegations against Roberts.
Around 8 p.m. on Friday night, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executes a federal search warrant at Roberts’ southeast Des Moines residence.
Here’s a look at what happened in the days that followed:
Sept. 27: Des Moines School places Ian Roberts on leave following arrest
The Des Moines School Board unanimously voted on Sept. 27 to place Roberts on paid leave. Later in the afternoon, the Register reported Roberts was being held at the Woodbury County Jail in Sioux City after being transferred from Pottawattamie County.
Sept. 27: U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn seeks documents related to Ian Roberts’ arrest
Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, who represents Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes DMPS, wrote in a letter posted to Facebook addressed to U.S. Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem and ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons acknowledging the probe by his state’s GOP lawmakers and requesting that the federal agencies provide documents related to Roberts’ immigration status.
Sept. 28: Ian Roberts’ loses Iowa administrator license
The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners revoked the administrator license of Roberts on Sunday, Sept. 28, saying that it has received information that he “no longer possess legal presence in the United States.”
The news is made public the next morning.
Sept. 29: Des Moines School Board gives Ian Roberts deadline to clarify his citizenship
The Des Moines School Board unanimously voted on Sept. 29 to move Roberts from paid to unpaid administrative leave due to the loss of his Iowa administrator license.
Board members notified Roberts through his attorney that he has until noon Tuesday, Sept. 30, to clarify his citizenship or risk being terminated.
Sept. 30: Ian Roberts resigns as superintendent of Des Moines Schools
Roberts, through his lead attorney Alfredo Parrish, announced in a news conference Tuesday afternoon that he is resigning as superintendent of DMPS in a letter addressed to the Des Moines School Board.
Sept. 30: More questions about Ian Roberts’ background surface as school says he didn’t earn PhD
Roberts has long stated that he received a doctoral degree from Morgan State University in Baltimore. But a university spokesperson told the Des Moines Register on Monday that Roberts did not obtain a degree from the school, despite attending Morgan State from the fall of 2002 through the spring of 2007.
Sept. 30: DMPS board accepts Ian Roberts’ resignation
Ian Roberts’ tenure at Des Moines Public Schools officially ended on Sept. 30. Hours after his attorneys announced he would resign, the district’s school board voted to accept his resignation.
“It is a sad and troubling end for an individual who gave many people, especially our students, hope,” said board chair Jackie Norris.
Oct. 1: DMPS board says it is also a ‘victim of deception’
Less than 24 hours after it accepted Roberts’ resignation, the Des Moines School Board is now saying it was “a victim of deception by Dr. Roberts.”
The statement was issued as more inconsistencies in Roberts’ background and accomplishments were coming to light.
Oct. 1: Pennsylvania school district says it may sue Ian Roberts for ‘egregious breach of trust’
An Erie, Pennsylvania, school district says it will vote soon to sue Roberts. The Millcreek Township School District hired Roberts in 2020, and he remained there until he left at the end of June 2023 to become the superintendent in Des Moines.
“We understand that we once welcomed Ian Roberts into our District with open arms,” the district said in a statement. “However, now we have realized that we were profoundly misled in a way that undermines the very foundation of integrity upon which our District prides itself. “
The district is also considering suing Iowa-based Ray and Associates, a search firm it used to help hire Roberts.
Oct. 2: Ian Roberts moved from Woodbury County Jail after federal weapons charge filed
Roberts was returned to Polk County on Oct. 2 where he has been charged in the U.S. District Court with being an “illegal alien” in possession of firearms.
Federal officials said Roberts had a loaded firearm in the car he was driving at the time of his arrest and three more firearms at the house he was living in.
Oct. 2: Polk County Sheriff’s Office confirms it served Ian Roberts with a restraining order in 2023
Shortly after Roberts arrived in Des Moines, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office was asked to serve him with a restraining order from Jackson County, Missouri. Details of the order are sealed.
Oct. 2: Federal complaint says Ian Roberts lacked work authorization when he was hired by DMPS
In a criminal complaint for federal weapons charges, a U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent wrote that Roberts’ work authorization expired in 2020, more than two years before he was hired in Des Moines. The complaint also provided more background on Roberts’ immigration status, including that he tried unsuccessfully to apply for citizenship three times.
The complaint also said copies of a May 2024 final order of removal in a car in the garage of the Des Moines house where he was living.
Oct. 3: DMPS plans lawsuit against search firm
After another closed session board meeting, the Des Moines School Board announced Oct. 3 that it intends to sue JC Consulting, the superintendent search firm that helped find and vet Roberts.
Who is Ian Roberts?
Roberts was born in Guyana in 1970, according to ICE, and he described the country in South America as “his birthplace” in an interview with Coppin State University published ahead of the 2020 Olympics. He “spent his formative years” in Brooklyn, New York, according to his biography on the Des Moines district’s website.
Roberts graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Coppin State University in Baltimore in 1998, according to the school. Roberts also has a master’s degree in education from St. John’s University in Queens, New York.
Before becoming the DMPS superintendent in 2023, Roberts led a school district in a suburban area near Erie, Pennsylvania. He previously held leadership roles in St. Louis Public Schools, served as principal and principal-supervisor in cities such as Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, and was the chief schools officer for Aspire Public Schools, a charter network spanning Los Angeles, the Bay Area, the Central Valley and Memphis.
A decorated track and field athlete, Roberts also competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games in track and field for Guyana as a mid-distance runner. He ran in the fourth heat of the 800-meter race with a time of 1.52.32. He placed seventh in his heat, according to Olympedia.
Register reporters Samantha Hernandez, Lee Rood and William Morris contributed to this report.
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines Superintendent Ian Roberts was arrested by ICE on Friday. What happened after?
Reporting by Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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