Robin Opsahl covers the state legislature and politics for Iowa Capital Dispatch, where this article first appeared.

Des Moines Public Schools superintendent Ian Roberts has resigned from his position effective immediately, lawyers representing him said on September 30.

Roberts, who was detained by U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement Friday, had been placed on unpaid administrative leave by the Des Moines School Board on September 29 after the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners revoked his license. ICE agents had arrested the superintendent, who was born in Guyana, during a “targeted enforcement operation” on September 26, and he allegedly evaded arrest. According to an ICE news release, Roberts’ vehicle contained a handgun, hunting knife, and $3,000 in cash.

ICE stated Roberts had been given a “final order of removal by an immigration judge” in May 2024. The federal agency stated Roberts was in the country unlawfully, having first come to the U.S. in 1999 on a student visa.

Attorney Alfredo Parrish, representing Roberts, confirmed that Roberts was a citizen of Guyana and served in the country’s military, but said his office was trying to work on getting more information on the immigration case proceedings that led to his arrest by ICE. In April 2025, a Texas immigration judge had decided not to reopen Roberts’ case in absentia.

Parrish said Roberts had received a letter from the prior attorney for his immigration case in Texas which said “his case had been closed successfully, and he was under the impression that it had been.” Parrish said his firm is in the process of filing a motion to reopen Roberts’ immigration case.

The attorney said it was a “complex case.”

“There are several jurisdictions that are involved, there are several law enforcement entities that are involved,” Parrish said. “… There (are) so many entities involved that we have touched bases with to try to work through this, through the consulate in New York for Guyana, through all the many other entities we’ve been trying to work through this case with. We want you to know that Dr. Roberts’ greatest concern is about his students who he actually loves, and the students who love him back, and his staff.”

While Roberts is resigning from the superintendent position, Parrish said his law firm has filed a request for stay on behalf of Roberts in the Omaha, Nebraska, federal immigration court. Roberts is currently being held at the Woodbury County Jail in Sioux City. Parrish said two of his staff drove to Omaha to file the motion Monday, and that earlier Tuesday, the law firm was in communication with Roberts.

“He understands that he has the support (of the community), and it really gives him inspiration,” Parrish said. “His spirits are high. He was very well-engaged in all our discussions this morning, for about the last two hours.”

DISTRICT’S HIRING PROCEDURES QUESTIONED

Some of the questions surrounding the case are focused on the Des Moines school district’s vetting process for hiring Roberts. DMPS officials have said Roberts completed the I-9 employment eligibility verification form and submitted the required documentation showing his employment eligibility when hired.

The National School Board Coalition, a conservative K-12 advocacy organization, claimed in a news release the consultant Baker-Eubanks, one of the entities hired by DMPS to perform third-party background checks during Roberts’ hiring process, “admitted that it did not perform a basic I-9 verification.”

This claim is referring to a statement made by Baker-Eubanks CEO Kim Cockerham to the Des Moines Register. Cockerham said the criminal background check performed does not confirm a person’s ability to legally work in the U.S., saying “that’s not even a service that we offer.” Cockerham said, according to the Register.

Laura Zorc, chair of the National School Board Coalition, said Roberts’ hiring process “reveals a critical oversight” in schools boards hiring search firms to fill school administration positions.

“If advising the Des Moines school board, NSBC would recommend working with their board attorney to review their contract agreement with consultants JQ Consultants and Baker-Eubanks for potential recourse, including seeking a full refund, legal, staff time, and covering the costs of rehiring a new superintendent if the contract was breached,” Zorc said in the release.

Board President Jackie Norris said on September 29 that the board asked Roberts’ attorney to provide documentation and verification of his citizenship status by 12 p.m. the following day, with plans to meet at 7:30 p.m. on September 30 to discuss ending Roberts’ employment contract. Parrish said the letter of resignation was being sent to school officials Tuesday.

U.S. Representative Zach Nunn said on September 29 that the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed with the U.S. Department of Justice through a Freedom of Information Act and formal inquiry that Roberts was subject to a final removal order under the Immigration and Nationality Act. He also said in a statement it was “unacceptable that someone under a final order of deportation and without legal work authorization was allowed to lead Iowa’s largest public school system.”

“Every parent should be able to trust that school leaders are fully vetted, legally employed, and held to the highest standards of accountability,” Nunn said. “I want to thank our federal agencies for their timely response and commitment to transparency as we work to protect our communities.”

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UPDATE: At a special meeting on September 30, the school board voted unanimously to accept Roberts’ resignation.