Ian Roberts speaks during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new outdoor basketball court at McCombs Middle School with the Caitlin Clark Foundation on July 28, 2025, in Des Moines.

DES MOINES — The superintendent of Iowa's largest school district was placed on unpaid leave and had his administrator license revoked by state officials, just days after being arrested by federal agents for allegedly being in the United States illegally.

In a news release on Sept. 29, the Iowa Department of Education announced that Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts, 54, had his education license revoked by the Board of Educational Examiners. The board said in a Sept. 28 letter to Roberts that he was not able to hold a license because "you no longer possess legal presence in the United States."

"The license issued by the Board of Educational Examiners is no longer valid and your authority to serve as superintendent is revoked," the letter from board executive director Michael Cavin states, which added that Roberts has until Oct. 28 to appeal the decision.

The revocation came one day after the Des Moines School Board placed Roberts on paid administrative leave. After receiving word of the revocation, the school board voted on Sept. 29 to move Roberts from paid to unpaid administrative leave.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Roberts on Sept. 26, saying that a court had issued a "final order of removal" in May 2024 for his deportation. Roberts, a Guyana native and longtime U.S. resident, had fled from police after a traffic stop in Des Moines and was arrested in what the Department of Homeland Security described as a "targeted enforcement operation."

Roberts is now being held on a deportation order. Officials have indicated that he is being held at the Woodbury County Jail in Sioux City, Iowa.

Des Moines School Board votes to put superintendent on unpaid leave

In a Sept. 29 news release, the Des Moines School Board said Roberts was added to the special board meeting agenda after it learned that his education license was officially revoked by state officials.

Before joining Des Moines Public Schools, Roberts underwent several background checks — including one by the state's board of education examiners. Following Roberts' arrest, Des Moines Public Schools officials have stated they were unaware of his removal order or that Roberts may have misrepresented himself as an American citizen.

"New information and confirmed facts will continue to inform our decisions as we develop a path forward," said Des Moines School Board Chair Jackie Norris, in the release. "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."

Before the vote on Sept. 29, Norris said district officials received paperwork showing Roberts was not allowed to work in the United States.

"We received a document from the Department of Homeland Services notifying us that Dr Roberts is an unauthorized worker in this country," Norris said. "We then received a copy of the final order of removal issued by the U.S. Department of Justice and signed by an immigration judge."

Board members said they have reached out to Roberts through his attorney and gave him until noon on Sept. 30 to clarify his citizenship or potentially face termination.

Who is Ian Roberts?

Roberts grew up in Brooklyn, New York. According to the DHS, Roberts entered the United States on a student visa in 1999.

Federal records and previous reporting said he was born in Guyana. Before a career in education, Roberts competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games in track and field for Guyana as a mid-distance runner.

Roberts became the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools in July 2023. He succeeded longtime Superintendent Tom Ahart, who resigned at the end of the 2021-2022 school year. Before his revocation on Sept. 29, Roberts' professional administrator license was set to expire on Dec. 31, 2028.

Federal officials accuse Roberts of working in the country illegally

After his arrest last week, the DHS said Roberts was working for the school district despite having no work authorization. Roberts allegedly sped away when officers approached his vehicle and identified themselves, and officers found his vehicle abandoned in a nearby wooded area, according to the DHS.

Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson, confirmed to the Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network, that Roberts was allegedly in possession of a loaded handgun, a large amount of cash, and a hunting knife at the time of his arrest. His official school biography states that "he enjoys hunting."

The DHS also accused Roberts of violating federal law by possessing a handgun while in the United States without legal authorization, and said it was referring him to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for further investigation.

The DHS said Roberts has "existing weapon possession charges" from Feb. 5, 2020. It's not clear where those charges were filed or whether they were resolved.

School district officials said they were not aware of those charges, but noted that Roberts addressed during the hiring process a 2021 Pennsylvania firearm citation related to a hunting rifle.

"He provided sufficient context and explanation of the situation to move forward in the hiring process," a district news release states. "He has also spoken publicly about this experience."

Contributing: Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY; William Morris, Des Moines Register

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines Superintendent Ian Roberts' Iowa administrator license revoked after ICE arrest

Reporting by Samantha Hernandez, USA TODAY NETWORK / Des Moines Register

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