An Iowa superintendent has reportedly been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after he was discovered to be an illegal immigrant.

Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts’s arrest by ICE was announced by the school on Friday, claiming they had no idea why he was arrested. An ICE official revealed to Fox News that Roberts was arrested on a deportation order from May 2024. It said Roberts was born in Guyana, contradicting his claim that he was born in Brooklyn, New York, and came to the U.S. illegally.

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Roberts was issued a deportation order in May 2024. According to ICE, Roberts fled from ICE agents after they revealed their identities, driving away and then abandoning his car. He was found in an area of heavy foliage nearby with the help of an Iowa State Police K9. Police also found a loaded gun, hunting knife, and $3,000 in cash in Roberts’s vehicle.

“ICE Des Moines today 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,” ICE said in a statement, obtained by the outlet.

They noted that Roberts had a weapon possession charge from February 5, 2020. ICE ERO St. Paul Field Office Director Sam Olson said the episode should serve as a “wake-up call.”

“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,” he said.

The Washington Examiner reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.

Des Moines Mayor Connie Boesen said the city was given no heads-up about the arrest.

“The City of Des Moines is learning of Dr. Roberts’ detainment alongside the rest of the community,” she said, according to the Des Moines Register. “At this time, we do not have any additional information regarding this incident as the Des Moines Police Department was not involved and did not have prior knowledge of this search.”

Mason Mauro, a spokesman for Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA), said in a statement that she was in contact with relevant authorities.

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Roberts took a largely neutral stance on the Trump administration’s removal of restrictions on ICE officers searching schools and other sensitive locations earlier this year. In a letter to parents, he said that the district’s schools would comply with ICE warrants and that agents would be directed to administrators if they sought information on students.

“Everyday Des Moines Public Schools does everything we can within our legal and moral authority to support students, which is always our top priority,” he said, the Des Moines Register reported.