(WEAA) — Federal immigration agents arrested the superintendent of Iowa's largest school district last week, a former Baltimore City and D.C. principal and Coppin State track star, on claims he was in the U.S. illegally.
The Des Moines school board voted unanimously Saturday to place Superintendent Ian Roberts on paid administrative leave, a day after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained him.
Roberts' deep roots in the Maryland region were highlighted in a Coppin State University profile, which noted he graduated from the HBCU in 1998, majoring in criminology and running track. He later represented his native Guyana in the 2000 Olympics, competing in the 800-meter race.
"Andre has been a special education teacher and principal in New York, Baltimore City and Washington, DC.," the profile said.
The Associated Press reports, ICE agents arrested Roberts Friday during a targeted operation. The agency stated he was a "criminal illegal alien from Guyana in possession of a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash and a fixed blade hunting knife." Roberts has described himself as a longtime gun owner and hunter, but ICE noted it is against federal law for those in the U.S. without legal status to possess a firearm and ammunition.
ICE said Roberts "entered the United States in 1999 on a student visa and was given a final order of removal by an immigration judge in May of 2024."
The agency claimed agents approached Roberts in his school-issued vehicle, and he then fled into a wooded area before being apprehended with assistance from Iowa State Patrol officers.
Roberts is currently held in the Woodbury County Jail in Sioux City, Iowa.
In response to the arrest, the Des Moines school board issued a statement via Chair Jackie Norris emphasizing that the board was unaware of any citizenship or immigration issues.
“I want to be clear, no one here was aware of any citizenship or immigration issues that Dr. Roberts may have been facing,” Norris said. “The accusations ICE had made against Dr. Roberts are very serious, and we are taking them very seriously.”
The Iowa Department of Education also stated that Roberts affirmed he was a U.S. citizen when he applied for his administrator license, and the state conducted a criminal history check before issuing it.
Roberts has retained a Des Moines law firm to represent him.
