US immigration detains Guyana-born Iowa school superintendent

Dr Ian Andre Roberts, superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools and a former Olympian, was arrested Friday by U.S. immigration officials who allege he has been living in the country illegally for more than two decades.

Roberts, 48, who was born in Guyana and raised in Brooklyn, New York, is accused of overstaying a student visa issued in 1999. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a final order for his removal was issued in May 2024, but Roberts had remained in the country in violation of that ruling.

ICE said Roberts initially fled from federal agents during an attempted arrest and was taken into custody a day later. He was reportedly found with a loaded handgun, US$3,000 in cash, and a hunting knife in a vehicle belonging to the school district. Federal law prohibits undocumented individuals from possessing firearms. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is now reviewing possible additional charges.

“This suspect was arrested in possession of a loaded weapon in a vehicle provided by Des Moines Public Schools after fleeing federal law enforcement,” said Sam Olson, head of ICE’s St Paul Field Office.

Roberts was appointed superintendent in July 2023 after a national search. The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners granted him a superintendent’s license, and the district said he passed third-party background checks and disclosed a prior firearm charge during the hiring process.

District officials expressed surprise at the arrest and said they were unaware of the 2024 removal order. The situation has prompted internal reviews of hiring procedures and communications with federal agencies.

Roberts, who represented Guyana in track and field at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, holds multiple advanced degrees and has completed studies at Harvard.

He remains in federal custody pending further legal proceedings.

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