The chair of the Des Moines School Board says schools Superintendent Ian Roberts was detained by ICE agents this morning. The statement says they have no confirmed information as to why Superintendent Roberts is being detained or the next potential steps.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety says they received a mutual aid request to assist ICE in locating an individual who fled from a traffic stop initiated by their agents this morning, and the person was caught and identified as Superintendent Roberts. Information from the Department of Homeland Security says Roberts was a criminal illegal alien from Guyana in possession of a loaded handgun, three-thousand dollars in cash and a fixed blade hunting knife. DHS says at the time of his arrest, Roberts was working as the Superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools despite being an illegal alien with a final order of removal and no work authorization.
A listing of people detained by ICE shows Roberts is being held in the Pottawattamie County Jail. The listing gives Guyana as his country of birth. A district bio says he was born to immigrant parents from Guyana and grew up in Brooklyn, New York.
The spokesperson for Governor Kim Reynolds says she was made aware that Roberts was taken into custody by ICE agents and is in contact with the Iowa Department of Public Safety and federal authorities.
(This story was updated with additional information at 2:51 pm.)