In brief
Federal immigration agents have detained Ian Roberts, the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools. The school board confirmed the detention, but details about the reasons and potential next steps remain unclear. Current information suggests he was in ICE custody, although local jail employees deny his presence there. Roberts, who began his role in July 2023, has a background as the son of immigrants, raising questions within the community regarding his situation.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — In a shocking development, federal immigration agents have detained Ian Roberts, the superintendent of Iowa's capital city public schools, according to a statement from the Des Moines school board. School board president Jackie Norris revealed that Roberts was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Friday morning. As of now, the school district has no additional information to provide, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the superintendent's situation. We have no confirmed information as to why Dr. Roberts is being detained or the next potential steps, Norris stated. Reports indicate that Roberts is recorded in ICE custody at a county jail in western Iowa, although employees at the Pottawattamie County jail have claimed he is not currently held there. Attempts to gather further details from ICE offices in St. Paul, Minnesota, and regional offices in Omaha, Nebraska, and Kansas City, Missouri, have not yielded any responses. Ian Roberts, 52, assumed the role of superintendent for Des Moines Public Schools, which serves approximately 30,000 students, in July 2023. BIOS available on the district's website highlight his background; Roberts is the child of immigrant parents from Guyana and spent part of his childhood in Brooklyn, New York. His alumni profile on Coppin State University’s website notes details about his family's immigration history, emphasizing the diversity that Roberts represents in his leadership role.
