September 27, 2025
Roberts, a former Olympian and Guyanese immigrant, became the first Black person to oversee the largest school district in Iowa when he was appointed the superintendent of Des Moines public schools in 2023.
On Sept. 26, Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agents detained former Olympian and Guyanese immigrant Dr. Ian Roberts, who in 2023 became the first Black person to oversee the largest school district in Iowa when he was appointed the superintendent of Des Moines public schools.
According to The Guardian, the Department of Homeland Security alleges that Roberts was arrested due to the existence of “a final order of removal and no work authorization.”
Per their statement given to the outlet, their justification for the arrest is as follows: “During a targeted enforcement operation on Sept. 26, 2025, officers approached Roberts in his vehicle after identifying himself, but he sped away. Officers later discovered his vehicle abandoned near a wooded area. State Patrol assisted in locating the subject and he was taken into ICE custody. Roberts has existing weapon possession charges from February 5, 2020. Roberts entered the United States in 1999 on a student visa and was given a final order of removal by an immigration judge in May of 2024.”
As The Des Moines Register reports, the arrest sent shockwaves through the local community, epitomized by School Board Chair Jackie Norris’ comments at a news conference.
“We do not have all the facts. There is much we do not know,” she said during the press conference. “However, what we do know is Dr. Roberts has been an integral part of our school community since he joined two years ago.”
According to Norris, Associate Superintendent Matt Smith will serve as interim superintendent until further notice, Smith formerly served as the interim superintendent before Roberts was appointed to his position in June 2023.
The school district, meanwhile, said in a statement to the outlet that it “has not been formally notified by ICE about this matter, nor have we been able to talk with Dr. Roberts since his detention.”
Per ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations St. Paul Field Office Director Sam Olson, “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.”
However, the only thing that the arrest of Roberts, a former mid-distance runner for his native Guyana during the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, has garnered is protests and alarm from community groups and members that a trusted member of the community was arrested by ICE on what seem like dubious circumstances.
According to a statement from The Directors Council, an umbrella group of several nonprofits focused on Des Moines’ Black community, posted to Facebook, Roberts is “a valued member of our board,” whose detention currently lacks context and clarification.
The organization continued, “Dr. Roberts has been a trusted partner, a dedicated advocate for equity, and an unwavering supporter of families and youth in Polk County. His contributions to both The Directors Council and the wider community are immeasurable, and we stand with him during this uncertain moment.”
Alison Hoeman, founder of a local nonprofit, Des Moines Refugees Support, indicated to the outlet that her phone has been blown up with calls and texts offering support for Roberts, and she has indicated that she is aware that students have been asking about Roberts with concern, ““‘Nothing’s going to happen to Dr. Roberts, right?’”
She continued, “You know it’s the Black and Brown kids who are worried. If it’s Ian Roberts who’s in trouble, what does that mean for them?”
Mazie Stilwell, executive director of the liberal group Progress Iowa, indicated that “answers and appropriate action,” are needed from Iowa’s elected officials in the face of deep uncertainty over Roberts’ arrest.
Stilwell, the parent of a student enrolled in DPMS, continued, “No Iowan is safe. We’re living under a fascist regime because Nunn, Miller-Meeks, Hinson and every single Iowa Member of Congress has been in lockstep with the MAGA administration that is terrorizing our communities. President Trump is willing to use political power against anyone who disagrees with him.”
To Stilwell’s point, the Republicans in Iowa, including U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, whose district includes the DMPS, have been publicly supportive of the arrest of Roberts, while Democrats, like Iowa Rep. Larry McBurney (D-Des Moines) indicated on social media that he was “furious” about the arrest of Roberts.
“This is not only unacceptable, it is an outright disgrace,” he said in a statement. “Our schools should never be treated as political battlegrounds for federal overreach.”
Rep. McBurney continued, “I hold President Trump and Iowa’s delegation — Congressman Zach Nunn, Senator Chuck Grassley, and Senator Joni Ernst — directly responsible for this action. Their silence or complicity will not go unnoticed. If they have any shred of leadership, they must intervene immediately.”
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