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1h ago

ICE Detains Des Moines Schools Superintendent as District Names Interim Leader

ICE cites a 2024 removal order alongside weapons allegations.

Ian Roberts speaks with the media after being named the new DMPS superintendent during a Des Moines Public Schools board meeting at Central Campus on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, in Des Moines.
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 19: Federal agents patrol the halls of immigration court at the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building on August 19, 2025 in New York City. NYC Mayor Eric Adams and the City of New York are calling on the federal government to end its practice of arresting people who appear at immigration court and have filed an amicus brief calling for a halt to it. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Overview

  • Des Moines Public Schools confirmed Superintendent Ian Roberts was taken into custody Friday and appointed Associate Superintendent Matt Smith as interim leader.
  • ICE says Roberts fled a targeted operation before being found and alleges he was associated with a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash, and a fixed-blade knife.
  • Federal officials say Roberts entered the U.S. on a student visa in 1999, lacks current work authorization, and is under a final order of removal issued in May 2024.
  • ICE’s detainee locator lists Roberts at the Pottawattamie County Jail in Council Bluffs, though jail staff told reporters they had no record of him.
  • Local outlets documented a separate ICE search at a Des Moines-area mobile home park earlier in the day, with no confirmed connection to Roberts’ detention.