Iowa officials have revoked the education license of Ian Andre Roberts, an illegal immigrant from Guyana who managed to become school superintendent in Des Moines, the state’s largest education system.
The state Board of Educational Examiners said as an illegal immigrant, Mr. Roberts is not authorized to work and so he cannot hold a license and cannot serve as superintendent.
Mr. Roberts’ case has quickly become a marquee deportation fight, joining that of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and Mahmoud Khalil as cases that have pitted the Trump administration against immigrant rights advocates.
Federal authorities said Mr. Roberts was ordered deported by an immigration judge last year, but was defying that order.
When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers caught up with him on Friday, he fled in his school-issued vehicle and tried to hide, but was captured with the help of the Iowa State Patrol.
Authorities released a photo of a gun they said was loaded and was found in his vehicle. As an illegal immigrant, federal law bars him from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
The Des Moines Register said Mr. Roberts appears to have lied on his job forms in claiming U.S. citizenship.
ICE said Mr. Roberts came to the U.S. on a temporary student visa in 1999.
The agency did not say what his status was between then and May 2024, when he was ordered deported. But it did say he was cited for a firearms violation in Pennsylvania in 2000.
ICE said the fact that Mr. Roberts was working in such a high-profile job despite being in the country illegally should be 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,” said Sam Olson, director of the ICE deportation field office that covers Des Moines.
Unlike some GOP-led states, Iowa does not have a requirement for businesses to use E-Verify, the federal government’s electronic system for verifying new hires’ work authorization. Federal law makes it voluntary, though some states have made it mandatory.
Des Moines Public Schools is not listed as a user of E-Verify.
Mr. Roberts began working for the school system in July 2023, which is before the immigration judge gave him a final order of removal.
He reportedly worked previously in public schools in Washington and Baltimore.
Des Moines school officials expressed sorrow at Mr. Roberts’ situation, even as they moved to suspend him.
“Two things can be true at the same time – Dr. Roberts was an effective and well-respected leader and there are serious questions related to his citizenship and ability to legally perform his duties as superintendent,” said Jackie Norris, chair of the Des Moines Public Schools Board.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.