ICE Arrests Iowa School Superintendent Who Doesn’t Even Match The Mugshot Photo It Posted

from the garbage-agency-doing-garbage-things dept

No matter what Trump says, ICE is never going to be going after the “worst of the worst.” If White House advisor Stephen Miller wants 3,000 arrests per day, ICE is just going to have to go after anyone who looks foreign, which basically means it’s just going after anyone who isn’t white. This has already gotten it in trouble with federal courts, but, of course, the US Supreme Court seems to think there’s nothing wrong with targeting people for arrest solely because of the color of their skin.

It’s anyone ICE can find, even if it can plausibly be argued they may have gotten the wrong person here. ICE arrested Des Moines (IA) public schools superintendent Ian Roberts, last seen making headlines by giving a bunch of kids the thrill of a lifetime — the opportunity to engage in a footrace with an Olympian. That race was ultimately won by a 5th grade student Amayah Vilmael, who outraced the former Olympic sprinter who was, admittedly, held back a bit by his decision to race in a three-piece suit.

Dr. Ian Roberts has been the superintendent since 2023, and is apparently extremely well-liked by both students and his fellow administrators. And yet, he’s the person ICE decided to pursue and arrest, issuing this extremely questionable press release following its extremely dubious “win” in the War on Immigrants:

Today, ICE Des Moines arrested Ian Andre Roberts, a criminal illegal alien from Guyana in possession of a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash and a fixed blade hunting knife. 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.

During a targeted enforcement operation on Sept. 26, 2025, officers approached Roberts in his vehicle after identifying himself, but he sped away. Officers later discovered his vehicle abandoned near a wooded area. State Patrol assisted in locating the subject and he was taken into ICE custody.

Roberts has existing weapon possession charges from February 5, 2020. 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.

First things first, only one of the things listed in the first paragraph is an actual crime. Having “$3,000 in cash and a fixed blade hunting knife” are not criminal acts, no matter what Roberts’ immigration statement actually is. The other alleged criminal act — the possession of a loaded handgun — is still up for debate, especially since these are the photos released by ICE to prove to America that agents got their man:

Judge for yourselves, but that’s definitely not the same nose, not to mention everything else facially that doesn’t appear to indicate these are two photos of the same person.

As for the preexisting gun charge that supposedly led to the order of removal in 2024, it’s ICE’s word against the arrested superintendent. And that applies to a lot of things, including the alleged removal order issued last year. Roberts claims the gun charge stems from having a loaded hunting rifle in his car when he was approached by an officer.

What ICE is alleging can’t be verified:

Des Moines Public Schools said it was unaware of the order of removal but Roberts did inform the school board of a firearms offense related to a hunting rifle during his hiring process. The district said in a statement Roberts “provided sufficient context and explanation of the situation to move forward in the hiring process.”

Public records show Roberts pleaded guilty to a weapon charge in Pennsylvania in 2022. CNN has been unable to verify whether Roberts has a separate charge from 2020.

ICE’s press release claims this was the result of a “targeted investigation,” so you’d think it would have released charging documents, etc. related to the allegations it’s made to justify this arrest. But it hasn’t, so there’s no reason to believe ICE even has the right person, much less any truly justifiable reason to remove Ian Roberts from the United States.

What also can’t be explained is how so many educational institutions never ran into the supposed red flags ICE is now using to justify the educator’s arrest and (presumably) inevitable ejection from this country. This is from Ian Roberts’ alumni bio posted at Coppin State’s website:

Andre [Ian Roberts] has been a special education teacher and principal in New York, Baltimore City and Washington, DC.  He has worked as a Network Superintendent of Schools in St. Louis, MO, and is presently the Chief Schools Officer in Oakland, CA. 

Andre believes in continuous improvement and self-development. It is evident in the number of degrees he has earned and is still pursuing. Andre earned a second master’s degree at Georgetown University, Washington, DC, and is currently a member of the class of 2022 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, executive master’s in business administration (EMBA) program. “I am committed to live my life, professionally and personally one day at a time: with the goal of making each day better than the previous one.”

Educational institutions tend to engage in pretty thorough vetting of applicants, especially those who utilize federal funding. And yet, no one other than Iowa public schools ran into this supposed weapons charge, and was given an explanation that satisfied them, given that Roberts is an admitted hunting enthusiast.

This is what Roberts told others about the 2022 interaction with law enforcement, which definitely isn’t a 2020 arrest, like ICE claims:

Court records in Pennsylvania show that Roberts pleaded guilty in January 2022 to a minor infraction for unlawfully possessing a loaded firearm in a vehicle, and was fined. The case stemmed from a citation in Erie county issued the prior month by a Pennsylvania game commission officer, who stopped Roberts as he was finishing a day of deer hunting on state lands.

Roberts said at the time he was a longtime licensed hunter and gun owner, and that he had left his hunting rifle on the seat of his vehicle in plain view to ensure the officer did not feel threatened during their interaction. He said that he was shocked when the officer cited him for doing so, but that he pleaded guilty to avoid any distraction. He questioned whether his dark skin may have played a role in the case.

“I may not appear to be the ‘type of man’ who would enjoy deer season in Pennsylvania, in fact, I am and have been hunting for more than 20 years,” Roberts wrote in a social media post then.

ICE claims Roberts entered the US on a student visa in 1999 (rather than arriving earlier with his parents), which simply doesn’t add up since he had already graduated from Coppin State university in 1998.

Tokyo Olympics 2020 may have been postponed, but it has not affected the attitude of athlete alum Andre Ian Roberts, ’98. “I am awakened everyday believing that each day gives me an opportunity to be a blessing to someone and leave an indelible impact on many people,” said Andre.

[…]

After graduating from Coppin, Andre continued his collegiate athletic pursuits at St. John’s University in Queens, NY, where he earned his first master’s degree. 

Given all of this, it very well might be that ICE has arrested the wrong person. Ian Roberts isn’t exactly an uncommon name, but it ultimately won’t matter. If there’s any way ICE can eject this Ian Roberts from the country, it will. And it will do so while claiming it’s actually here to make America safer, even though this cruel arrest does nothing but deprive the Des Moines public school district of a loved and trusted administrator.

ICE’s spin on this is hideous, especially when it refuses to release any court records that would support the allegations it has made in its asinine press release:

“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 ICE ERO St. Paul Field Office Director Sam Olson. “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.

ICE is so very wrong. This Ian Roberts isn’t a “public safety threat.” And this how parents in that school district are actually reacting to this arrest:

Des Moines community member Isaiah Stegman, 45, said even if Roberts did violate laws, involving ICE isn’t the way to handle the situation. He said Roberts contributed to many different communities.

“Regardless of what might’ve been the circumstances of how he first came here or where he was born, he is one of us,” Stegman said.

Rachel Gulick, 39, was born and raised in Des Moines. She grew up in DMPS schools and is proud of her education. She said, in her experience, the district has always been thorough in its background checks.

“We’re talking about homecoming weekend for so many schools,” Gulick said. “I want this community, this state, this nation, to think about what this does to our children when they are seeing the leadership of their communities, of their school systems, being taken off the street and incarcerated.”

At Corinthian Baptist Church in Des Moines, hundreds gathered Friday night to show solidarity with Roberts. Activists, elected officials and clergy members gave speeches calling on people to support district personnel and to commit to advocate for immigrants.

ICE doesn’t represent American ideals any more than the people (Trump, Stephen Miller, Kristi Noem, etc.) who applaud this ongoing atrocity. Middle America isn’t fooled when ICE just grabs people because their skin isn’t white. The only people who like what ICE is doing are those who similarly want to see their racism converted to public policy. No one’s any safer and anyone thinking this sort of thing will end right where they want it to end — before it comes for them — is delusional.

Filed Under: des moines school district, dhs, evil, ian roberts, ice, iowa dps, mass deportation, trump administration