Des Moines, Iowa (AP) – Authorities have placed figures in Iowa’s largest school district on administrative leave Saturday, following the arrest of Principal Ian Roberts by federal immigration agents, who allege he is in the country illegally.
The Des Moines school board voted unanimously to place Roberts on paid leave during a brief three-minute special meeting. The board stated that Roberts will be unable to fulfill his duties in the district, which serves 30,000 students, and that his position will be reassessed upon obtaining more information.
After the meeting, School Board President Jackie Norris issued a statement noting that the circumstances surrounding Roberts’ arrest on Friday marked a “dark day,” but emphasized that the board still lacks complete information.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents claimed that Roberts is illegally present in the country, lacks work authorization, and is subject to a final removal order that was issued in 2024, leading to his detention. ICE agents detained Roberts while he was driving a vehicle issued by the school.
Roberts is currently being held at the Woodbury County Jail in Sioux City, northwest Iowa, approximately 150 miles from Des Moines.
“I want to be clear: No one here was aware of any citizenship or immigration issues that Dr. Roberts may have been facing,” Norris stated. “The allegations made by ICE against Dr. Roberts are extremely serious, and we take them with the utmost seriousness.”
Norris indicated that Roberts has retained a law firm in Des Moines for representation. Attorney Alfredo Parish confirmed his firm’s representation of Roberts but declined to comment further on the case.
Norris also reiterated that a background check was conducted on Roberts prior to his hiring. The firm that assisted with the search in 2023 enlisted another company to perform “comprehensive crime, credit, and background checks” on Roberts, all of which revealed no citizenship issues, said Norris.
Additionally, on Saturday, the Iowa Department of Education released a statement asserting that Roberts was a U.S. citizen when he applied for his administrator license. The department clarified that the Iowa Education Review Board conducted criminal history checks in collaboration with state and federal authorities prior to the issuance of the license.
The department is currently reviewing employment procedures for the Des Moines area to confirm that staff are authorized to work in the U.S.
Roberts has previously stated that he was born in Guyana to immigrant parents and spent a significant portion of his childhood in Brooklyn, New York. He competed for Guyana in track and field at the 2000 Olympics.
According to ICE, he entered the U.S. on a student visa in 1999.
A former police officer from Guyana recalled on Saturday that Roberts was a promising mid-distance runner who might have advanced further in the police ranks had he remained in South America. Retired Guyana Police Chief Paul Slow remarked that Roberts joined the police force after completing the country’s standard military officer course.
“He served diligently for several years before relocating. He was neither fired nor left in disgrace; he simply moved on,” Slow told The Associated Press. “He was a disciplined and capable man.”
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Associated Press writer Bert Wilkinson contributed to the report from Georgetown, Guyana.
Source: apnews.com