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Ian Roberts, a former Olympic runner from Guyana who was educated in the United States rose to become superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, leading 30,000 students and 5,000 staff, and pulling down an annual salary of $267,000, despite secretly lacking legal status in the U.S.
“I believe deeply in the promise of public education being the most important opportunity gap closer for youth, particularly with a focus on diverse populations,” Dr. Roberts, who is in his 50s, wrote in his cover letter for the Des Moines job.
The district hired him in 2023 after a national search for a dynamic leader who could raise reading scores and improve equity. Roberts impressed everyone with his background, charisma, and story as an immigrant who believed in public education. Though vetting firms found some inconsistencies in his resume and a past arrest for a firearms offense, officials moved forward anyway.
Bad move. In truth, Roberts was not a U.S. citizen and had been ordered deported in 2024.
Yet he continued to lead schools, give speeches, and win praise for progress. His secret collapsed when ICE agents arrested him near a trailer park, saying he fled in a school vehicle where a loaded gun was found. He later resigned and now faces further federal weapons charges as well as deportation.
The case erupted amid President Trump’s renewed crackdown on illegal immigration and diversity programs. It raised questions about how someone under a deportation order could run a major school district. Supporters described Roberts as inspiring and hardworking, while others struggled to reconcile that image with his deceptions.
Roberts’s life apparently began in Georgetown, Guyana, where he excelled as a track competitor before moving to the U.S. on a visa in 1994.
He became an NCAA All-American, represented Guyana in the 800 meters heats at the 2000 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, and later earned various higher degrees in education and claimed other degrees and distinctions that he had not completed.
Past arrests and visa issues didn’t stop him from rising quickly through school leadership roles, admired for his energy and rapport with students, but marriage in Florida and repeated attempts to obtain a green card and permanent residency in the United States failed even as his career was thriving.
Sources: New York Times, CNN.
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