# Des Moines, IA school superintendent arrested by ICE **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 26, 2025, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/des-moines-ia-school-superintendent-arrested-by-ice/1023421 "2025-09-26T22:29:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/des-moines-ia-school-superintendent-arrested-by-ice/1023421/1 "2025-09-26T22:29:53Z")
He’s from Guyana, and came here in 1999 on a student visa. It doesn’t look like the school system did a very good job of vetting him. (One wonders, of course, if he would have been on ICE’s radar if he was Caucasian.) > **[Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts detained by ICE agents](https://www.iowapublicradio.org/ipr-news/2025-09-26/des-moines-public-schools-superintendent-ian-roberts-detained-by-ice-immigration-agents?utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&fbclid=IwY2xjawND8mtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHt3njr9ujo390Ro9c_CbiMsGcv27Fox3XSP83hKt1Qf3nzDfIHOetcSepd_F_aem_JWnKT7FHgcz81d5nuH-XWQ)** > > The superintendent of the largest school district in Iowa has been detained by federal immigration officials. Superintendent Ian Roberts of Des Moines Public Schools was arrested Friday after fleeing ICE agents during a traffic stop. However, TBH, I’d probably rather have this guy in charge of the schools than the one who was arrested, along with two other employees of the small-town district he headed, for accessing students’ medical records. Not surprisingly, he’d lost a previous job for doing the same thing. > **[Court records: Mercer Co. school superintendent illegally accessed student...](https://www.kwqc.com/2025/09/25/court-records-mercer-co-school-superintendent-illegally-accessed-student-records-vaccine-info/)** > > The Mercer County Schools superintendent and two district employees, accused of illegally accessing student medical records, are set to make their first appearance Thursday. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/des-moines-ia-school-superintendent-arrested-by-ice/1023421/2 "2025-09-26T23:38:16Z")
This is being discussed in the deportation thread; you might read the posts there: > [@The Trump deportation news thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-deportation-news-thread/1013404/1043): > > I hope we find out soon why There is a good chance your first statement is wrong. While he was born in Guyana in 1973, other information suggests he came to the U.S. with his parents in the 1980s, grew up in Brooklyn, attended and graduated from a black oriented college (Coffin State)–graduating in 1998–so he would have started college a few years before then. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/des-moines-ia-school-superintendent-arrested-by-ice/1023421/3 "2025-09-27T00:08:51Z")
The worst of the worst 😠 ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/des-moines-ia-school-superintendent-arrested-by-ice/1023421/4 "2025-09-27T00:25:36Z")
So how many Americans did he rape? How many did he murder? Selling drugs from his office? Calves bigger than cantaloupes? A traffic stop. No doubt DWB. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/des-moines-ia-school-superintendent-arrested-by-ice/1023421/5 "2025-09-27T03:05:34Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > He’s from Guyana, and came here in 1999 on a student visa. According to ICE. But if true, it probably just means he visited Guyana in 1999. Fun fact per Wikipedia: Guyana has a slightly high purchasing power per capita than the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/des-moines-ia-school-superintendent-arrested-by-ice/1023421/6 "2025-09-28T03:25:53Z")
First: > **[Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts put on leave after ICE...](https://www.iowapublicradio.org/ipr-news/2025-09-26/des-moines-public-schools-superintendent-ian-roberts-detained-by-ice-immigration-agents)** > > Ian Roberts, superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, was arrested and detained Friday after fleeing ICE agents during a traffic stop in Des Moines. The school board voted Saturday to put him on administrative leave. Since his arrest, community... Second there are allegations that he may have faked parts of his biography–someone on X has stated there are significant inconsistencies between various sources. But again this is on X with no verification from the major news media–so it could well be fake news. Allegations include: 1. **Birthdate variations** : Court records list December 18, 1970; an early Wikipedia entry (possibly edited by Roberts) says 1978; athletic records show 1973. 2. **Birthplace and upbringing** : A 2020 quote describes Guyana as his birthplace with parents immigrating separately; a 2024 local news story claims he was born in Brooklyn, NY, and raised by a single mother; his Facebook lists Guyanese secondary schools. 3. **Education** : LinkedIn omits degrees despite claims of two master’s, two doctorates (one confirmed EdD from an online university), and a Harvard postdoc; timelines overlap with full-time work. 4. **Awards and career** : Self-reported as George Washington University’s 2013 D.C. Principal of the Year (no independent record found); exaggerated job titles in bios. 5. **Military/police service** : Claims of being a commissioned officer and police detective in Guyana, including security for Queen Elizabeth II’s 1994 visit. 6. Other: Marriage records confirm 1970 birth in Guyana; prior legal issues (e.g., child support garnishments, 2022 gun charge); connections to figures like Michelle Obama’s former chief of staff. > **[Laura Powell (@LauraPowellEsq)](https://nitter.net/LauraPowellEsq/status/1971811032235753770#m)** > > Ian Roberts, the Des Moines school superintendent arrested by ICE, has so many inconsistencies in his public biographies that it’s amazing that no one questioned his identity before. > > I’ll keep adding receipts to this thread as I find information. 🧵 ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/des-moines-ia-school-superintendent-arrested-by-ice/1023421/7 "2025-09-28T06:00:49Z")
Is this even his real name? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/des-moines-ia-school-superintendent-arrested-by-ice/1023421/8 "2025-09-28T06:22:38Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Is this even his real name?, Please don’t tell me his real name is George Santos… ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/des-moines-ia-school-superintendent-arrested-by-ice/1023421/9 "2025-09-28T18:46:49Z")
👍👏👏👏 and some extra characters. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2025, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/des-moines-ia-school-superintendent-arrested-by-ice/1023421/10 "2025-09-30T13:40:56Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > So how many Americans did he rape? How many did he murder? Selling drugs from his office? Calves bigger than cantaloupes? > > A traffic stop. No doubt DWB. Yeah. THAT really contributes to the thread. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2025, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/des-moines-ia-school-superintendent-arrested-by-ice/1023421/11 "2025-09-30T22:54:56Z")
The Illinois superintendent was compiling, and sharing, a database of students’ vaccination statuses! Maybe they could be cellies when all is said and done. > **[Mercer County superintendent’s arrest: What the law says about accessing...](https://www.kwqc.com/2025/09/30/mercer-county-superintendent-fired-what-law-says-about-accessing-vaccine-records/?fbclid=IwY2xjawNJO7lleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHtc764KqC5TXKND7Kk3yiT4q3aAg6W82ElrvGs1TSOcBQTK1pIZ2iQ4Dv6MO_aem_Ws_8p7km2avCVXo4fl-3JQ)** > > Prosecutors say Timothy Farquer, 53, accessed student vaccine records, put them into a database and shared it, violating those students’ privacy. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2025, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/des-moines-ia-school-superintendent-arrested-by-ice/1023421/12 "2025-09-30T23:25:08Z")
**Moderating:** @nearwildheaven - you included a similar link to the Mercer Co school superintendent in the OP, though I don’t see any real connection other than both parties being related to education. I presume the new post was to update the thread about said superintendent now being arrested. I’m withdrawing my prior hiding of the apparently off topic post. You may want to clarify if this is supposed to be about the IA school super or more about general abuse by educators/admins. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2025, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/des-moines-ia-school-superintendent-arrested-by-ice/1023421/15 "2025-10-01T04:25:04Z")
It’s about people getting hired to important jobs, like school superintendent, without proper investigation or vetting. That’s why I posted both of them here. Sorry if people are confused. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/des-moines-ia-school-superintendent-arrested-by-ice/1023421/16 "2025-10-02T04:33:46Z")
The thread actually started out being about the Des Moines situation, and branched out afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2025, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/des-moines-ia-school-superintendent-arrested-by-ice/1023421/17 "2025-10-06T13:51:49Z")
Here is an in depth look at him. Apparently despite his fake credentials and being an illegal immigrant he was a very good superintendent: > **[Ian Roberts was a revered superintendent. Then came the arrest, the guns and...](https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/local/columnists/courtney-crowder/2025/10/06/des-moines-superintendent-ian-roberts-downfall/86473748007/)** > > Ian Roberts was beloved. He was also a liar. As his backstory is revealed, community members are reckoning the man they knew with his Potemkin façade.