Busted:ICE Arrests Des Moines School Superintendent, Illegal Immigrant from Guyana with Prior Weapons Charge
Federal immigration authorities arrested the Superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools on Friday, identifying him as an illegal immigrant with a prior deportation order and past weapons arrest.
According to ICE, Dr. Ian Andre Roberts, a native of Guyana, had been a fugitive since May 2024, when an immigration judge issued a final order of removal. Roberts reportedly fled after agents identified themselves, speeding away in his vehicle before abandoning it and attempting to escape on foot. He was eventually found hiding in brush with the assistance of an Iowa State Patrol K-9 unit.
Inside Roberts’ school-issued vehicle, agents recovered a loaded Glock 19 handgun, a fixed-blade hunting knife, and $3,000 in cash. ICE officials confirmed that Roberts also had a prior weapons-related arrest in 2020, though the outcome of that case remains unclear.
BREAKING: A senior ICE official tells @FoxNews that today, ICE arrested the Superintendent of Des Moines, Iowa Public Schools, Dr. Ian Andre Roberts, who ICE says is an illegal alien from Guyana & and active ICE fugitive with a deportation order since May 2024. Fox is told Dr.… pic.twitter.com/623WGDpqZb
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) September 26, 2025
Roberts first entered the U.S. in 1999 on a student visa at St. John’s University. Court documents show his deportation proceedings were handled in absentia, and a judge in Dallas denied his motion to reopen the case earlier this year.
ICE officials condemned Roberts’ employment in a leadership role, questioning how he was hired without legal work authorization despite his immigration record.
Photo of the gun recovered by ICE agents in Dr. Robert’s vehicle today, per senior ICE official. FOX is told it was a loaded Glock 19. pic.twitter.com/Cu7fqVqusM
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) September 26, 2025
“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, ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations director for St. Paul. “How this illegal alien was hired with a final order of removal and a prior weapons charge is beyond comprehension and should alarm the parents of that school district.”
The case is now being referred to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to investigate how Roberts acquired the firearm, since it is illegal for undocumented immigrants to possess guns or ammunition.
ICE arrest photo 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/DScGqx6WWE
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) September 26, 2025
ICE expressed gratitude to the Iowa State Patrol for its assistance in the arrest.
About Post Author
