US-ICE releases ‘criminal, immigration history’ of detained Guyanese-born US school superintendent

WASHINGTON, CMC – The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency on Friday released new information it deems to be the “criminal history” and “immigration history” of alleged undocumented Guyanese national Ian Andre Roberts, who was serving as Des Moines, Iowa’s school superintendent at the time of his September 26 arrest.

ICE said when officials of the agency approached Roberts, he identified himself, then sped off, abandoned his vehicle, and hid in a brushy area about 200 metres away, where ICE officers located him with help from Iowa State Patrol officers.

Roberts was charged on October 2 with being an illegal alien in possession of firearms.

“Roberts’ rap sheet and immigration history reveal a long record of criminal conduct in the United States,” it said. “He should never have been serving in a role overseeing children in Iowa’s largest school district.”

ICE said Robert’s criminal record includes charges for criminal possession of narcotics with intent to sell, criminal possession of drugs, criminal possession of a forgery instrument and possession of a forged instrument in New York on July 3, 1996; a charge, on November 13, 1998, for third-degree unauthorized use of a vehicle in Queens, New York, which was dismissed July 6, 1999; and a November 1, 2012 conviction for reckless driving, unsafe operation and speeding in Maryland.

ICE said Roberts was charged on February 3, 2020, for second-degree criminal possession of a weapon (having a loaded firearm outside his home or business); third-degree criminal possession of a gun (an ammunition feeding device); and fourth-degree weapon charges.

“A document from February 4, 2020, indicates that the second-degree criminal possession charge was inchoate,” ICE said.

On January 20, 2022, it said the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania convicted Roberts of unlawful possession of a loaded firearm.

On September 26, 2025, ICE said Roberts was arrested with a Glock 9mm pistol and a fixed-blade hunting knife in his possession. He also had US$3,000 in cash, the immigration enforcement agency charged.

On October 2, 2025, it said Roberts was criminally charged with being an illegal alien in possession of firearms.

ICE said Roberts’ immigration history includes two visas, four green card applications (for permanent residency), and “subsequent denials, and several trips.” ICE stated that Roberts entered the United States at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York on June 1, 1994, on a B-2 non-immigrant visa. He was classified as “a visitor for pleasure”, ICE said.

It said Roberts departed the US on “an unknown date but returned before his 1996 arrest for narcotics possession.”

On March 8, 1999, ICE said Roberts entered the US through California’s San Francisco International Airport as an F-1 student visa holder.

ICE stated that the visa was set to expire on March 7, 2004, and that Roberts departed the US on an unspecified date. On June 28, 1999, it stated that Roberts reentered the US through San Francisco on the same F-1 student visa and departed the US on an unspecified date.

On August 30, 1999, ICE stated that Roberts reentered the US at JFK International Airport using the same student visa.

ICE said Roberts, on February 9, 2000, applied for employment authorisation, “which US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approved April 5, 2000, with an expiration date of April 1, 2001.”

On September 4, 2000, ICE stated that Roberts left the US from JFK International Airport and reentered the US on September 30, 2000, at the same JFK International Airport on the same F-1 student visa.

On May 21, 2001, ICE said Roberts filed a green card application with USCIS, “which the agency rejected January 3, 2003.”

ICE said, on May 15, 2018, Roberts filed another green card application with USCIS, “which the agency again rejected on May 30 that year.”

On June 4, 2018, ICE said Roberts filed another green card application, “which USCIS rejected for the third time on June 20 that year.”

The immigration enforcement agency said that on July 15, 2018, Roberts filed for employment authorisation documents, “which USCIS granted on December 18 that year, giving the documents an expiration date of December 18, 2019.”

On July 16, 2018, ICE stated that Roberts had filed, for the fourth time, a green card application and that USCIS denied it on January 24, 2020.

On November 18, 2019, ICE stated that he filed another application for employment authorization documents, which USCIS approved on December 3 of that year and issued an expiration date of December 18, 2020.

ICE said Roberts updated his address with USCIS on February 11, 2020. On October 2, 2020, USCIS issued Roberts a notice to appear before an immigration judge.

On May 22, 2024, “an immigration judge in Dallas, Texas, ordered Roberts removed in absentia.” On April 24, 2025, an immigration judge in Dallas denied Roberts’ motion to reopen his case.

ICE officials arrested Roberts in Des Moines, Iowa, on September 26, 2025. “He is now in US Marshals custody and will be prosecuted for his recent crimes,” ICE said.

“At the time of his arrest, Roberts was working as the Superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, despite being an illegal alien with a final order of removal and no work authorization,” it added.

During a targeted enforcement operation on September 26, 2025, ICE said its officers approached Roberts in his vehicle, and after identifying himself, he sped away.

“Officers later discovered his vehicle abandoned near a wooded area,” it said. “State Patrol assisted in locating the subject, and he was taken into ICE custody.”

ICE said the investigation into how Roberts acquired the handgun is being turned over to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). “It is a violation of federal law for those in the US without legal status to possess a firearm and ammunition,” ICE said.

Sam Olson, ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations St. Paul Field Office Director, said: “This suspect was arrested in possession of a loaded weapon in a vehicle provided by Des Moines Public Schools after fleeing federal law enforcement. This should serve as a wake-up call for our communities to recognize the great work that our officers do every day to remove public safety threats.

“How this illegal alien was hired without work authorisation, a final order of removal, and a prior weapons charge is beyond comprehension and should alarm the parents of that school district,” Olson added.