On a crisp Friday morning in late September, as students and teachers at Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) prepared for the first day back, an unexpected turn of events sent shockwaves through Iowa’s largest school district. Dr. Ian Roberts, the superintendent known for his Olympic past and hands-on leadership, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under circumstances that have left the community grappling with questions, protests, and a leadership vacuum.
According to WHO 13 News, Dr. Roberts was on his way to Windsor Elementary School on September 26, 2025, planning to join students for a morning run—a tradition rooted in his days as a track and field competitor for Guyana at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. But just before 9 a.m., he sent an emergency text to DMPS Director of Communications, Phil Roeder. Within an hour, Roeder received a FaceTime call from Roberts, which, as he described, was highly unusual. "I got a FaceTime call from him, which in itself was a little odd," Roeder told WHO 13 News. The call, lasting only about 20 seconds, showed Roberts surrounded by three or four law enforcement officers, one holding a long gun, and Roberts handcuffed. Roeder recalled, "It took me a few seconds to even really, I mean, to know what you’re looking at... I finally said, 'Dr. Roberts, can you hear me? Is everything okay?' and the call ended."
This brief, disorienting communication was the district's first inkling of the crisis unfolding. It would be another four or five hours, Roeder said, before ICE issued a public statement. In that statement, ICE revealed that Roberts had entered the U.S. from Guyana in 1999 on a student visa and was under a final order of removal issued by an immigration judge in May 2024—exactly one year after he became superintendent. The agency further claimed that Roberts had fled from officers while driving a district vehicle, which contained a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash, and a fixed-blade hunting knife. ICE also noted that Roberts had a prior weapons charge from Pennsylvania in February 2020, to which he pleaded guilty in 2022.
ICE ERO St. Paul Field Office Director Sam Olson offered a stark assessment: "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."
Roberts’ arrest set off a rapid response from DMPS. On Saturday, September 27, the school board convened a closed special session and unanimously voted to place Roberts on paid administrative leave. Matt Smith, a familiar face to the district—having served as associate superintendent since 2018 and as interim superintendent during the 2022-23 school year—was named interim superintendent once again. Smith now faces the daunting task of steering the district through turbulent waters as its 30,000 students and 5,000 staff return to classrooms.
Board President Jackie Norris, speaking to WHO 13 News, emphasized the district’s lack of prior knowledge about Roberts’ immigration status. "The district never received information from any entity, and that’s concerning. We are taking that very seriously, but we did not receive that information," Norris stated. She added that all documentation provided by Roberts indicated he was eligible to work in the U.S., and he had cleared both third-party and FBI background checks. "Right now, we have such confidence in Matt Smith. He has been in this role before, and the most important thing we need to do is continue to do the business that we do every day, and we do it well. And I have to say, I’m a little tired of people picking on Des Moines Public Schools. Our literacy scores are going up, we are headed in the right direction, and so what people can do right now is love our students and support our teachers," she said.
But the drama didn’t end with administrative leave. On Monday, September 29, state education officials revoked Roberts’ license to serve as superintendent. In a letter to Roberts dated September 28, Michael D. Cavin, executive director of the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners, wrote: "Our office has received information that you no longer possess legal presence in the United States, therefore you not able to hold a license issued by the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners... The license issued by the Board of Educational Examiners is no longer valid and your authority to serve as superintendent is revoked." Roberts, who was first licensed in July 2023, was given the option to appeal the decision by October 28, 2025.
Des Moines school officials quickly called a special board meeting for Monday afternoon to address the new developments. According to The Des Moines Register, the board is expected to move Roberts from paid to unpaid leave, as required by law. His contract, which runs through June 2028 with an annual salary of $286,000, mandates a valid state-issued license—a requirement now in jeopardy.
The community’s reaction has been swift and passionate. Protests supporting Roberts erupted outside the Neal Smith Federal Building on Friday and continued through the weekend, with another planned for Monday afternoon. The NAACP, which visited Roberts over the weekend, reported via Facebook that "He expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support from individuals and organizations nationwide and reaffirmed his commitment to education and ensuring students thrive. Dr. Roberts shared that he is in good spirits and that his faith in God will sustain him." The organization is assisting Roberts’ wife at his request. "Our prayers are with Dr. Roberts, his family, and our community," said Betty Andrews, NAACP Iowa-Nebraska State Area President and National NAACP Board Member. "We will continue to monitor this situation closely and stand firmly in contending for justice."
Meanwhile, Roberts remains held at the Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center in Sioux City, about 150 miles from Des Moines. He has retained the legal services of Parrish Kruidenier Law Firm, though as of Monday morning, his attorneys had not commented publicly on the case.
As the district moves forward, school board chair Jackie Norris summed up the challenge ahead: "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." She emphasized that decisions must remain fact-based and legally sound, always prioritizing the best interests of students, staff, and families.
For Des Moines Public Schools, the days ahead will be marked by uncertainty, legal wrangling, and a community reckoning with how such a high-profile leader could slip through the cracks of the nation’s immigration and employment systems. But for now, as classes resume and the protests continue, the district’s focus is clear: supporting its students and teachers through a crisis no one saw coming.
