The resignation of Ian Roberts as superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district was accepted by the Des Moines school board during a special meeting Tuesday night.

The board’s action “is a sad and troubling end for an individual who gave many people, especially our students, hope,” Jackie Norris, board chair, said in a statement she read before the vote, which was unanimous.

Roberts, 54, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Sept. 26. He is accused of being in the United States illegally and not complying with an order of removal issued in May 2024.

Roberts is being held in the Woodbury County Jail. His attorney, Alfredo Parrish, said a motion has been filed to temporarily stop Roberts from being deported. A request to reopen Roberts’ immigration case has also been made.

Roberts, a native of Guyana, was hired as Des Moines schools superintendent in July 2023. School officials have said multiple background checks conducted on Roberts did not indicate possible issues with his immigration status.

The district and others “have learned that his citizenship and status and eligibility to work in the United States was not what we were led to believe,” Norris said.

The board, which placed Roberts on unpaid administrative leave, had set a deadline for Roberts to provide information regarding his U.S. citizenship. Instead, Roberts submitted his resignation.
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley has asked the Department of Homeland Security to provide him with any work authorization documents Roberts provided the school district.

He also asked whether any audits of the Des Moines school district had been done in the past six years to verify Form I-9s were properly completed and retained. The forms are used to verify the identity and employment authorization of all people hired to work in the U.S.

In a related matter, the Department of Justice on Tuesday notified the Des Moines school officials that it is opening an investigation into the district’s hiring practices. Specifically, the justice department is reviewing whether the district “is engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination based on race, color or national origin,” the letter said.