Overview

• Federal officials say Ian Roberts is in the U.S. without legal status and was ordered removed by an immigration judge in May 2024.
• ICE says he fled during a targeted operation and was found with a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash, and a fixed-blade hunting knife, which federal law bars him from possessing without lawful status.
• Des Moines Public Schools say he completed I-9 employment verification and third-party background checks, and the board named Matt Smith interim superintendent.
• The district says it received no formal notice of the removal order and has scheduled a closed special meeting as community groups rallied outside a federal courthouse.
• Roberts is being held in a county jail following the arrest, and it is not publicly confirmed whether he has legal representation.