DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Federal immigration agents have arrested the leader of Iowa’s largest school district in a targeted enforcement action that shocked students and educators.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Des Moines Public School Superintendent Ian Roberts was in the country illegally and had no work authorization.
Roberts, who is from Guyana in South America, was considered an ICE fugitive because he was subject to a final removal order issued in 2024.
ICE said that it targeted Roberts for arrest by initiating a traffic stop on Friday while he was driving in his school-issued vehicle.
After he fled, officers discovered his vehicle abandoned near a wooded area. He was located and taken into ICE custody with the help of Iowa State Patrol officers.
