School Superintendent Detained by ICE in Iowa’s Largest City
Ian Andre Roberts, the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools in Iowa, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on September 26, 2025. According to Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, Roberts attempted to flee the authorities but was apprehended after a police dog tracked him following his foot escape. ICE considers Roberts an illegal immigrant from Guyana with a deportation order issued as May 2024.During the arrest, a loaded gun was found in his vehicle, along with a fixed blade hunting knife and $3,000 in cash.
Roberts was hired as superintendent in 2023 and has a history in educational leadership across several U.S. cities. Des Moines Public Schools serve approximately 30,000 students. The school district had described Roberts as having immigrant parents from Guyana but did not specify his place of birth. Contradictory details exists, as Roberts represented Guyana in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and ICE lists his birthplace as Guyana while also claiming he entered the U.S. on an F1 student visa in 1999.
The school district has stated they have no confirmed details regarding the reasons for roberts’ detention and emphasized their commitment to maintaining a safe and high-quality educational surroundings for students and staff.
The school superintendent in Iowa’s state capital was arrested Friday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, and Fox News’ best-known immigration correspondent is reporting chilling details.
Bill Melugin, who has covered illegal immigration for Fox News since 2021, published a post on the social media platform X declaring that the superintendent, Ian Andre Roberts, not only sped away from authorities in an attempt to flee, but had to be tracked down by a police dog after running from his vehicle on foot.
He’d left a loaded gun behind.
ICE considers Roberts an illegal alien from the South American nation of Guyana, Melugin reported. He wrote that Roberts was ordered deported more than a year ago.
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
Melugin’s report, which cited unnamed “senior ICE officials,” also said that Andrews’ vehicle contained a “fixed blade hunting knife” and $3,000 in cash.
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
Des Moines Public Schools is responsible for the education of about 30,000 students, according to its website.
The district hired Roberts as superintendent in 2023. In its news release announcing the then-53-year-old’s appointment, the district stated that he was “born to immigrant parents from Guyana, and spent most of his formative years in Brooklyn, NY.”
It does not state his actual country of birth.
According to Melugin’s post, ICE officials said Roberts first entered the United States in 1999 on an F1 student visa.
The discrepancy between the two accounts of Roberts’ life remains to be cleared up.
ICE arrest photo 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/DScGqx6WWE
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) September 26, 2025
However, according to Iowa Public Radio, Roberts competed in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, representing Guyana. The station also reported that ICE had listed Roberts’ place of birth in Guyana.
Prior to his appointment in Des Moines, Roberts was superintendent of schools in Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania, according to the Des Moines news release.
Before that, he was a high school network superintendent for the St. Louis Public Schools district in St. Louis, Missouri.
He has also worked in Baltimore, New York City, and Washington, D.C. In 2013, George Washington University named him principal of the year for Washington, D.C., according to the release.
On Friday, Des Moines Public Schools published a news release about Roberts’ situation.
“We have no confirmed information as to why Dr. Roberts is being detained or the next potential steps,” the release said.
“Our priority is to provide a safe, secure and outstanding education for all students and to support our students, families, and employees.”
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