'Out of concern for students': Des Moines superintendent resigns after ICE arrest; DOJ launches probe

Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts has resigned after being arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over alleged immigration violations . The development comes as the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has also opened an investigation into the school district’s hiring practices.

Roberts’s attorneys announced his resignation on Tuesday, calling the matter a “very complex case.” The 49-year-old, a citizen of Guyana who came to the United States in 1999, was taken into custody last week. According to ICE, Roberts had allegedly violated a removal order issued by a judge in May 2024.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) further disclosed that Roberts had a previous weapons charge from 2020. At the time of his arrest, he allegedly tried to evade authorities and was found with a loaded handgun, a knife and $3,000 in cash in his car.

Initially, the Des Moines school district suspended Roberts with pay but converted it to without pay on Monday after the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners revoked his superintendent license. The district has maintained that background checks suggested Roberts was a US citizen.

In his resignation letter, Roberts wrote, “Out of concern for his 30,000 students, Dr. Roberts does not want to distract the Board, educators, and staff from focusing on educating DMPS’s students.” His lawyers indicated they would seek to reopen his immigration case but declined to share further details.

Meanwhile, the DOJ confirmed that it has launched a civil rights investigation into Des Moines Public Schools. Officials pointed to concerns about race-based hiring practices and specific quotas for teachers of color mentioned on the district’s website.