The state education department plans to review hiring procedures in the Des Moines School District after the district’s superintendent was arrested Friday (9/26/25) morning and faces deportation. The U-S Department of Homeland Security says 54-year-old Ian Roberts is a native of Guyana who was living illegally in the U-S and a judge issued a deportation order in May of last year, in the final months of President Biden’s Administration.
According to Radio Iowa, State officials say Roberts checked the box that said he was a U.S. citizen when he applied for a state license to serve as superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district. The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners conducted a criminal history check and state officials say no deviations were identified and it was up to the school district to check Roberts’ immigration status. The Des Moines district says Roberts completed an employment verification form and submitted the required documentation when he was hired. The Des Moines School Board met this weekend and voted to place Roberts on paid administrative leave. He’s being held in the Woodbury County Jail in Sioux City.
Courtesy Radio Iowa. Full story here: https://www.radioiowa.com/2025/09/29/state-to-review-hiring-of-des-moines-superintendent-arrested-by-ice/
