U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested former Superintendent Ian Roberts last week, saying the Guyana native and former Olympic runner was living and working in the country illegally. A state board stripped Roberts' license to be superintendent.
The Des Moines school board voted Monday night to put Roberts on unpaid leave from his job leading the district, which has more than 30,000 students and nearly 5,000 employees.
The office of U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, a Republican who represents the Des Moines area, released a redacted excerpt of Roberts' May 2024 removal order Tuesday after obtaining the document through a Freedom of Information Act request.
The document alleges that Roberts was provided notice to appear at a removal hearing but failed to show up or otherwise apply for any other relief.
An immigration judge found the Department of Homeland Security had submitted evidence to support its allegations that Roberts was subject to removal. The judge ordered Roberts to make arrangements to voluntarily leave the U.S. or face deportation.
The head of the Des Moines school board that hired Roberts, Jackie Norris, says Roberts signed a form attesting that he was a U.S. citizen when he was hired, and submitted a Social Security card and a driver’s license as verification.
When Roberts was cited for traffic violations in the Des Moines area in 2023 and 2024, he presented a Maryland driver’s license in each case, the tickets show. But the licenses listed different addresses.
Roberts has been registered to vote at one of the addresses since at least 2017, according to a Maryland voter registration database.
During both traffic stops, Roberts was driving different vehicles that were registered in Texas, the tickets show. He and his wife own a home in Denton County, Texas, near Dallas and Fort Worth, property records show. He paid both of the Iowa tickets in cash.
