Dr. Ian Roberts, the former superintendent of the Millcreek Township School District, has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Iowa.
Since 2023, he has served as superintendent for Des Moines Public Schools.
He was the superintendent of the Millcreek Township School District from 2020 to 2023.
During a “targeted operation” Friday morning, officers approached Roberts in a vehicle provided by the district, ICE said.
He sped away and abandoned the vehicle near a wooded area.
Iowa State Patrol assisted in finding him. He was taken into ICE custody.
He had a loaded handgun, $3 thousand in cash, and a fixed blade hunting knife, ICE said.
Roberts was given a final order to leave the United States last year and was not allowed to work, ICE said.
“This should be a wake-up call for our communities to the great work that our officers are doing every day to remove public safety threats. How this illegal alien was hired without work authorization, a final order of removal, and a prior weapons charge is beyond comprehension and should alarm the parents of that school district,” ICE ERO St. Paul Field Office Director Sam Olson said.
In a press conference Friday afternoon, Des Moines Public Schools officials asked for empathy as the situation developed.
“We stand firm with our community, many of whom are feeling sad, outraged, and helpless. We understand, as we too are devastated by the news of his detainment. However, this does not stop our important work,” interim superintendent Matt Smith said.
Roberts’ biography on the district website said he was born to immigrant parents from Guyana.
He entered the country on a student visa in 1999, ICE said.