Former Des Moines school superintendent pleads guilty in immigration case

Former Des Moines (Iowa) Public Schools superintendent Ian Roberts has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from his September 2025 arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

KCCI-TV reports that Roberts, as part of a plea agreement, admitted guilt in federal court to making a false statement for employment and for being "an illegal alien in possession of a firearm."

Roberts was taken into custody by federal officials on Sept. 26, 2025. At the time, ICE agents said they detained Roberts because he was in the country illegally, didn’t have authorization to work and was subject to a final removal order issued in 2024.

In the plea agreement, the government agreed not to pursue further federal charges related to Roberts' possession of firearms or false statements of citizenship.

The plea agreement also noted that the guilty plea could restrict Roberts' ability to challenge any deportation proceedings and that he could be subject to immediate deportation after the completion of his sentence.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Roberts is a native of Guyana and first entered the United States in 1994 on a nonimmigrant visa. He returned in 1999 on a student visa, which was set to expire in March 2004. Federal officials say he was denied a green card application in 2003 and received a final order of removal by an immigration judge in May 2024.

A federal grand jury indicted Roberts in October for allegedly making a “false attestation” on his U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Eligibility Verification form.

Roberts served as Des Moines superintendent from July 1, 2023, until his resignation on Sept. 30, 2025.