DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Des Moines public schools superintendent who has been detained by immigration authorities submitted his resignation Tuesday while he focuses on challenging his looming deportation, his lawyer said.
Ian Roberts had been under the impression from a prior attorney that his immigration case was “resolved successfully,” said attorney Alfredo Parrish. His law firm filed a request to stay Roberts' deportation with an immigration court
in Omaha, Nebraska, and was working on another motion to reopen the educator’s immigration proceedings.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Roberts last week, saying the Guyana native and former Olympic runner was living and working in the country illegally. A state board stripped Roberts' license to be superintendent.
The Des Moines school board voted Monday to put Roberts on unpaid leave from his job leading the district, which has more than 30,000 students.
Roberts submitted a letter through his attorney announcing his immediate resignation Tuesday, saying he did not want to distract the district’s leaders and teachers from focusing on educating students.
Board chair Jackie Norris had given Roberts until noon Tuesday to provide documentation showing he can legally work in the U.S., or face dismissal proceedings. The board plans to hold a special meeting Tuesday night to consider whether to accept the resignation.
The backlash from the arrest was far from over.
The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division announced Tuesday that it would investigate whether the district has engaged in racial discrimination by favoring non-white applicants as part of a plan to “increase the number of teachers of color.” A district spokesperson said the matter was under review.
Roberts, 54, is being held at the Woodbury County Jail in Sioux City, Iowa, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Des Moines.
Parrish described Roberts as a “tremendous advocate to this community" who was an inspiration to students, and he thanked the public for an outpouring of support. Parrish said he and other lawyers spoke with Roberts for hours Tuesday and “his spirits are high.”
Parrish cautioned that it was a “very complex case” that will take time to investigate. He acknowledged Roberts could face deportation at any moment and it was uncertain whether his new appeals would be considered by the court.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is also investigating how Roberts obtained a handgun that was allegedly found in his district vehicle during last week's arrest. That case could lead to federal charges.
The office of U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, a Republican who represents the Des Moines area, released a redacted excerpt of Roberts' May 2024 removal order Tuesday after obtaining the document through a Freedom of Information Act request.
The document alleges that Roberts was provided notice to appear at a removal hearing but failed to show up or otherwise apply for other relief.
An immigration judge found the Department of Homeland Security had submitted evidence to support its allegations that Roberts was subject to removal. The judge ordered Roberts to make arrangements to voluntarily leave the U.S. or face deportation.
Parrish affirmed his client was born in Guyana but did not say whether he'd ever applied for U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residency, when his work authorization may have expired, and what happened during the removal proceedings last year.
However, he released a letter dated March 2025 that he said was from Roberts' prior attorney in Texas informing her client the case had been closed in his favor.
“It has been my pleasure to represent you throughout this process, and I am pleased to report that your case has reached a successful resolution,” Texas attorney Jackeline Gonzalez wrote.
An aide to Gonzalez confirmed the law firm had represented Roberts but gave no immediate comment.
Norris, the school board chair, said the district had not been notified of the removal order until it received a copy Monday.
She said Roberts signed a form attesting that he was a U.S. citizen when he was hired in 2023, and submitted a Social Security card and a driver’s license as verification.
When Roberts was cited for traffic violations in the Des Moines area in 2023 and 2024, he presented a Maryland driver’s license in each case, the tickets show. But the licenses listed different addresses.
Roberts has been registered to vote at one of the addresses since at least 2017, according to a Maryland voter registration database. The Maryland Board of Elections said Roberts' registration may have been unintentional, and a review “did not show any voting history."
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Foley reported from Iowa City, Iowa.
