Overview

• Ian Roberts remains in federal custody at the Woodbury County Jail in Sioux City as his attorney seeks a stay and files to reopen his immigration case in Omaha.
• The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners revoked his administrator license and the district placed him on unpaid leave before the school board voted to accept his resignation.
• ICE says Roberts was arrested in a targeted operation under a 2024 final removal order and that agents found a loaded handgun, a knife and $3,000 in cash in his vehicle.
• AP records show he claimed a Morgan State doctorate on his 2023 application, and the board knew he had not earned it before selecting him as superintendent.
• Hiring and verification practices are under scrutiny, with a consultant saying its background check did not include I-9 work-eligibility verification as the district maintains Roberts completed I-9 paperwork.