Des Moines school chief Ian Roberts arrested by ICE, resigns

Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday and has since resigned after federal authorities accused him of living and working in the United States without legal authorization and of possessing firearms. The arrest, which took place in Des Moines, set off a rapid series of administrative and legal actions that left the state’s largest district scrambling to respond.

ICE said agents stopped Roberts while he was driving a district-issued vehicle, that he fled into a wooded area and was later apprehended with assistance from the Iowa State Patrol. The agency said he was subject to a final removal order issued in May 2024 and had entered the country on a student visa in 1999. Authorities reported finding a loaded handgun wrapped in a towel in the vehicle, along with a fixed-blade hunting knife and about $3,000 in cash; a subsequent search of his home produced additional firearms, prosecutors said.

Federal prosecutors charged Roberts with being unlawfully present in the United States while in possession of firearms. Court papers allege he had four firearms, some of which were loaded. Roberts appeared by video...