Des Moines attorney Alfredo Parrish spoke with Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts on Saturday morning, Sept. 27, and said Roberts is still in the country after his arrest by U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement.
But Parrish, whose Des Moines firm is assisting Roberts and spoke to the Des Moines Register exclusively, said he could not answer more questions as the situation was still developing. Roberts was being held at the Woodbury County Jail after being transferred from Pottawattamie County, according to ICE’s website.
The dramatic arrest of Roberts, 54, stirred a wide array of questions in Iowa and across the country, as he appears to be the only U.S. superintendent ICE has arrested in recent history. A Guyana native, he has been a highly respected education leader with an extensive two-decade work and academic track record in the United States.
He has enjoyed wide-ranging community support, as evidenced by the roughly 500 supporters who attended an evening community gathering Sept. 26 at Corinthian Baptist Church in downtown Des Moines and an hourslong protest in front of Des Moines’ federal building soon after his arrest.
The leader of Iowa’s largest school district since July 2023, he was arrested for allegedly being in the United States illegally. The Department of Homeland Security has said he was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge on May 2024 and his arrest was part of a “targeted enforcement operation.”
DHS said Roberts abandoned his car and fled law enforcement on Sept. 26. He was allegedly in possession of a loaded handgun, $3,000 cash and a hunting knife. Agency officials called him an illegal alien and a “threat to public safety.”
Since his arrest, some, including Iowa legislators, have been asking questions about alleged inconsistencies in Roberts’ work experience and resume.
Many have recirculated comments and observations by Laura Powell, whose bio says she is an attorney in California, who said on X Saturday, Sept. 27, there are so “many inconsistencies in his public biographies that it’s amazing that no one questioned his identity before.” Powell poured over Roberts’ book, Wikipedia page, news articles, self-published book, LinkedIn page, military service, looking for errors and inconsistencies.
“We are very concerned by the details emerging today alleging that the Des Moines Superintendent is an illegal immigrant with a criminal record. The Government Oversight committee is committed to investigating this situation thoroughly,” Iowa House Republicans said on Facebook Friday.
On Saturday, Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement that Roberts; arrest was “shocking, particularly his attempt to evade authorities, and the loaded gun, knife, and large sum of cash found in his vehicle.
” The investigation is still underway, so I won’t comment on details of the case at this time. But I want to be clear: we are a nation of laws that must be enforced. Those who believe immigration laws are optional are dangerously wrong. When laws are ignored, or when people are led to believe there will be no consequences, our communities are at risk. Iowans won’t stand for that. We must enforce the law, every time, to protect our families and our future.”
According to DMPS spokesman Phil Roeder, Roberts underwent a comprehensive background check by Baker-Eubanks, a third-party contractor. Roeder said employers, like the district, are required to verify employment eligibility for all employees, and Roberts completed an I-9 employment eligibility form and submitted required documentation.
“The district has not been formally notified by ICE about this matter, nor have we been able to talk with Dr. Roberts since his detention,” Roeder’s statement said Friday.
The Des Moines School Board is holding a special session the evening of Saturday, Sept. 27, to discuss Roberts’ arrest. The Des Moines school board said it would “discuss this personnel matter in closed session. The Board will also take action regarding Dr. Roberts’ administrative leave status following closed session.”
Before he came to DMPS in 2023, Roberts worked for the Millcreek Township School District from August 2020. Prior to that, he was chief schools officer at Aspire Public Schools in Oakland, Calif., from 2018 to 2020, according to information he and his employers have provided.
Former State Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad, a Democrat from Des Moines, said a prayer rally will be held Sunday, Sept. 28, at 6:30 p.m.
Parrish, a prominent criminal defense and civil litigation attorney who has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, said he would share more information with the Register as soon as he could.
School Board Chair Jackie Norris said at a news conference Sept. 26 the district was still working to learn more about what happened.
“We do not have all the facts. There is much we do not know,” she said. “However, what we do know is Dr. Roberts has been an integral part of our school community since he joined two years ago.”
The superintendent search that led to Roberts’ hiring was conducted by JG Consulting. Roberts had a 2021 firearm citation , which he disclosed to the district during his hiring process, related to a hunting rifle. The release from Roeder said he provided sufficient context and explanation of the situation to move forward in the hiring process, and he had spoken publicly about the experience.
The Department of Homeland Security said Friday that Roberts had “existing weapon possession charges” from Feb. 5, 2020. The dates from the disclosed citation and the alleged weapons charge do not match. Federal officials did not provide and the Register’s searches did not find the documents related to the 2020 charge.
“The February 2020 arrest was made by Port Authority PD,” ICE’s communications arm told the Register Friday night. There are multiple local port authorities across the country and it is not clear which one would have made the alleged 2020 arrest.
The DMPS Friday statement also said the district had no knowledge of Roberts’ order of removal.
Roberts has said he grew up in Brooklyn, New York City. Federal records and previous reporting said he was born in Guyana. Before a career in education, Roberts competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games in track and field for Guyana as a mid-distance runner.
The DHS statement said Roberts entered the United States on a student visa in 1999. It also said that Roberts was working for the school district despite having no work authorization.
“This suspect was arrested in possession of a loaded weapon in a vehicle provided by Des Moines Public Schools after fleeing federal law enforcement,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations St. Paul Field Office Director Sam Olson said. “This should be a wake-up call for our communities to the great work that our officers are doing every day to remove public safety threats. How this illegal alien was hired without work authorization, a final order of removal, and a prior weapons charge is beyond comprehension and should alarm the parents of that school district.”
DHS also accused Roberts of violating federal law by possessing a handgun while in the U.S. without legal authorization, and said it was referring him to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for further investigation.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines superintendent was still in U.S. Saturday after ICE arrest