The Des Moines School Board, the largest school district in Iowa, placed its superintendent on unpaid administrative leave on Monday after the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners revoked his administrator license, claiming he “no longer possesses legal presence in the United States.”

Superintendent Ian Roberts was arrested Friday by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under a removal order. ICE alleged that he fled a traffic stop and abandoned a school district vehicle containing a loaded handgun, a knife, and cash. The agency referred the firearm matter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners revoked Roberts’s license on Saturday under Iowa Code § 256.151. Roberts may appeal that decision to the full board by October 28.

In a statement posted on the district’s website, Board Chair Jackie Norris said the district had received notice from the Department of Homeland Security that Roberts was an unauthorized worker, along with a copy of a final removal order issued in May 2024.

The board said Roberts’s contract requires him to hold a valid state administrator license and have the ability to legally work in the US. It gave his counsel until noon Tuesday to provide “material information demonstrating that Dr. Roberts is eligible to work,” otherwise the board would “commence the process required by Iowa Code Chapter 279” to address his contract.

According to ICE, Roberts is a native of Guyana who first entered the US on a student visa in 1999. He subsequently worked in various school districts across the country and was appointed superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools in 2023. ICE stated that Roberts has prior weapons-related charges.