DHS reveals extensive criminal history of former Des Moines superintendent who was arrested, in US illegally

The former superintendent of Iowa's largest school district, who was living and working in the United States illegally, has an extensive criminal history, including drug and weapons possession, the Department of Homeland Security said Friday.

Ian Roberts resigned from the Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) district this week following his arrest by immigration authorities. He was taken into custody after a short car chase and is charged with being an illegal alien in possession of firearms, authorities said.

"Ian Andre Roberts, a criminal illegal alien with multiple weapons charges and a drug trafficking charge, should have never been able to work around children," said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. "When ICE officers arrested this superintendent, he was in possession of an illegal handgun, a hunting knife, and nearly $3,000 in cash."

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"This criminal illegal alien is now in U.S. Marshals custody and facing charges for being an illegal alien in possession of firearms. Under Secretary Noem, ICE will continue to arrest the worst of the worst and put the safety of America's children FIRST," she added.

Roberts' criminal record includes a range of offenses, including a 1996 charge for possession of narcotics with intent to sell, criminal possession of narcotics, criminal possession of a forged instrument and possession of a forgery device in New York.

In 1998, Roberts, 54, a native of Guyana, was charged with third-degree unauthorized use of a vehicle in Queens, New York. That case was dismissed on July 6, 1999. He also has a 2012 conviction for reckless driving, unsafe operation, and speeding in Maryland.

In 2020, Roberts was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and fourth-degree weapon charges. A document from Feb. 4, 2020, indicates that the second-degree criminal possession charge was inchoate.

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In addition, Roberts' immigration history includes two visas, four Green Card applications and subsequent denials, and several trips abroad, authorities said. He entered the U.S. through John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on a B-2 non-immigrant visa and was classified as a visitor for pleasure.

He left the U.S. on an unknown date but returned before his 1996 arrest for narcotics possession. He re-entered the U.S. through San Francisco in 1999 on a student visa, which expired in March 2004, DHS said. He left and then re-entered the U.S. at least two other times on a student visa.

Roberts also filed multiple green card applications, all of which were rejected. In 2004, an immigration judge in Texas ordered him to be deported.

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A motion to reopen the case was subsequently denied. Fox News Digital has reached out to the school district with questions about its hiring practices.