by Sharelle B. McNair
January 16, 2026
While maintaining his innocence, Roberts penned an essay that talks about accountability and wanting to erase unfair negative preconceptions and first impressions of others.
Ian Roberts, the former Des Moines, Iowa School Superintendent who made headlines with a federal immigration case, is taking a plea deal after it was revealed he was registered to vote in Maryland without being a U.S. citizen, Fox Baltimore reported.
A Jan. 22 hearing is scheduled for the Guyana native in Des Moines as he faces a pending deportation order and scheduled to face trial Mar. 2. The terms of his plea deal have yet to be revealed but his past in Maryland is an open book.
It was revealed that Roberts, who immigrated to the United States in 1994, was registered to vote in Maryland, despite his citizenship status, after his September 2025 arrest, resulting in calls coming in from advocacy groups for more concrete standards in the state’s voter registration process.
His ties to the state date back years, as he was employed by Baltimore City Schools for roughly eight years between 2001 and 2010, working as a teacher and a principal. He later attended Morgan State University, an HBCU, unsuccessfully pursuing his Doctorate of Education in Urban Educational Leadership. But his troubles unraveled in Iowa.
He was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents due to the existence of “a final order of removal and no work authorization.” Days later, Roberts submitted his resignation as superintendent, where he had made history after becoming the first Black person to oversee the largest school district in Iowa when he was hired in 2023.
In addition to the risk of being deported, prosecutors charged him with two counts for possessing a firearm as an illegal alien and making a false statement for employment, according to the Des Moines Register. Prosecutors claim Roberts possessed four guns illegally, including a loaded handgun they allege was left in his district-owned vehicle following his attempts to flee ICE.
His arrest caused bouts of chaos and confusion as school officials wondered how Roberts was hired in the first place. The former school leader was hired with assistance from consulting company, JG Consulting, where by undergoing a background check, it was never revealed that he was ever charged with a misdemeanor, felony, or major traffic violation — including driving under the influence.
As things came to light, public records reveal Roberts’ lengthy rap sheet includes charges such as drug possession and intent to sell in 1996 and weapons charges in 2020 and 2022, pleading guilty to the 2020 charges. The mishap resulted in the school district filing a lawsuit against JG Consulting, with leaders claiming they were “a victim of deception” due to Roberts’ alleged lying throughout his tenure.
Despite the ongoing rifts, Roberts, currently at the Polk County Jail, has maintained his innocence and wants the world to know it. With his LinkedIn page still accessible and active, he penned an essay that talked about accountability and wanting to erase unfair negative preconceptions and first impressions of others. “Teaching, leading, and serving—especially in complex systems—is challenging. It demands results. It measures outputs. But more than anything, it demands that we show up fully human,” he wrote in the lengthy post.
“Just like that student, many people quietly aspire to improve. Sometimes the desire is for themselves, other times it is for others but they are looking to get rid of the red asterisks that is weighing them down.”
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