DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Lawyers for the Des Moines public schools leader detained by immigration authorities have asked an immigration court to put deportation proceedings on hold.
Attorney Alfredo Parrish
said his law firm filed the request for stay with the federal immigration court in Omaha on behalf of Superintendent Ian Roberts. Parrish did not elaborate on the filing, which was made under seal, but said his law firm planned a news conference later Tuesday.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Roberts last week, saying the native of Guyana was living and working in the country illegally. A state board promptly stripped Roberts of his license to be superintendent.
The Des Moines school board voted Monday night to put Roberts on unpaid leave from his job leading the district, which has more than 30,000 students and nearly 5,000 employees.
Board chair Jackie Norris said Roberts and his legal team have until noon on Tuesday to provide documentation showing that he was able to legally work in the U.S., or he would face dismissal proceedings. She said the board could meet as soon as Tuesday evening in a special session.
Roberts, 54, has been held since his arrest at the Woodbury County Jail in Sioux City, Iowa, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Des Moines.
