Iowa Superintendent Arrested by ICE Loses State License and Is Placed on Unpaid Leave
Immigration officials arrested Ian Roberts, the Des Moines Public Schools superintendent, on Friday and said he was in the country illegally.
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Ian Roberts, in a striped tie, stood before a glass window which led to a stairwell.
Ian Roberts, the Des Moines schools superintendent, was arrested by ICE last week.Credit...Kathryn Gamble for The New York Times
By Mitch Smith and Ann Hinga Klein
Reporting from Des Moines
Sept. 29, 2025
The public school system in Des Moines remained in upheaval on Monday as district leaders struggled to respond to the detention of their superintendent, Ian Roberts, and accusations by federal law enforcement that he had been living and working in the country illegally.
During a hastily scheduled meeting on Monday evening, school board members voted 6-0 to place Dr. Roberts on unpaid leave, a day after the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners revoked his state license. Dr. Roberts, who was placed on paid leave on Saturday, is being held in a jail nearly 200 miles away.
All of it left residents of Iowa’s capital city confused, concerned and unsure how to square their impressions of Dr. Roberts, whose vision for the school district was embraced by many, with claims by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that he had faced a deportation order since last year and had fled from officers when they approached him on Friday.
“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,” Jackie Norris, the school board chair who is also a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, said in a statement before the meeting.
Immigration officials arrested Ian Roberts, the Des Moines Public Schools superintendent, on Friday and said he was in the country illegally.
Listen to this article · 6:01 min Learn more
Ian Roberts, in a striped tie, stood before a glass window which led to a stairwell.
Ian Roberts, the Des Moines schools superintendent, was arrested by ICE last week.Credit...Kathryn Gamble for The New York Times
By Mitch Smith and Ann Hinga Klein
Reporting from Des Moines
Sept. 29, 2025
The public school system in Des Moines remained in upheaval on Monday as district leaders struggled to respond to the detention of their superintendent, Ian Roberts, and accusations by federal law enforcement that he had been living and working in the country illegally.
During a hastily scheduled meeting on Monday evening, school board members voted 6-0 to place Dr. Roberts on unpaid leave, a day after the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners revoked his state license. Dr. Roberts, who was placed on paid leave on Saturday, is being held in a jail nearly 200 miles away.
All of it left residents of Iowa’s capital city confused, concerned and unsure how to square their impressions of Dr. Roberts, whose vision for the school district was embraced by many, with claims by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that he had faced a deportation order since last year and had fled from officers when they approached him on Friday.
“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,” Jackie Norris, the school board chair who is also a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, said in a statement before the meeting.
