Federal immigration agents have detained key administrators from Des Moines public schools, according to a statement released by the school board on Friday.
Ian Roberts, the principal of Des Moines Public Schools, was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents early Friday, as noted by School Board President Jackie Norris.
A spokesperson for the district mentioned that there are no further details available at the moment.
Norris added, “No information has been confirmed regarding Dr. Roberts’ custody status or any subsequent actions.”
ICE records indicate that Roberts is being held at a county jail in western Iowa. However, an official at the Pottawattamie County Jail claimed that he is not currently incarcerated there. This jail is situated roughly 130 miles west of Des Moines.
An employee from the ICE office in St. Paul, Minnesota, which manages operations in Iowa, stated that they had no information about Roberts’ arrest.
Attempts to reach ICE’s national media line went unanswered, as did calls to other regional offices in Omaha, Nebraska, and Kansas City, Missouri.
At 52 years old, Roberts started his role as superintendent in July 2023, overseeing around 30,000 students.
A biographical entry about Roberts on the district’s website notes that he was born in Guyana to immigrant parents and spent much of his early life in Brooklyn, New York.
The Coppin State University website showcases Roberts as an alumnus, highlighting his graduation from a Baltimore school in 1998.
In this profile, he mentioned that his father immigrated to the U.S. during the 1980s, while his mother arrived in the early 2000s.
