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2h ago

ICE Detains Des Moines Schools Chief Under Removal Order

The detention triggered parallel immigration enforcement with firearms inquiries plus reviews of hiring practices.

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WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 5: Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is sworn-in during a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing on "Rightsizing Federal Government," on Capitol Hill, on February 5, 2025 in Washington, DC. The hearing comes as the Trump administration embarks on an aggressive effort to shrink the federal workforce via a variety of ways, including the president's call for mass resignations. (Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images)
Photo Courtesy of ICE

Overview

  • The Des Moines school board placed Ian Roberts on paid administrative leave, citing his unavailability to lead the 30,000-student district.
  • ICE says agents approached him as he drove a district vehicle, he fled, and he was later arrested with assistance from the Iowa State Patrol.
  • Agents reported a loaded handgun, a fixed-blade knife, and more than $3,000 in the vehicle, and ICE says the weapons inquiry was referred to the ATF, with court records also showing a 2022 Pennsylvania citation for a loaded firearm in a car.
  • State officials say Roberts declared U.S. citizenship on his administrator license application as criminal-history checks were completed, while the district says standard I-9 and third-party background verifications were done without any notice of a 2024 removal order.
  • Elected officials escalated oversight as Rep. Zach Nunn requested DHS and ICE records on Roberts’ status and Iowa legislators sought document preservation and reviews of district hiring.