Crime
Superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools Ian Andre Roberts Arrested by ICE
A senior official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has confirmed that Dr. Ian Andre Roberts, Superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, was arrested on Thursday, September 26, 2025, during a targeted enforcement operation.
ICE identified Dr. Roberts as a citizen of Guyana who has been living in the United States without legal status and has been subject to a final deportation order since May 2024.
According to ICE, agents approached Dr. Roberts while he was inside his vehicle.
Upon identifying themselves as immigration officers, Roberts allegedly fled the scene at high speed before abandoning his car nearby.
He was located approximately 200 yards away in a brush-covered area with the assistance of an Iowa State Patrol K9 unit.
During a search of the abandoned vehicle, ICE agents reported recovering a loaded handgun, a fixed-blade hunting knife, and approximately $3,000 in cash.
The vehicle, according to officials, was one provided to Roberts in his role as superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools.
ICE records show that Roberts first entered the United States in 1999 on an F-1 student visa to attend St. Johnโs University in New York. On May 22, 2024, he was ordered removed from the country in absentia.
A subsequent motion to reopen his immigration case was denied by an immigration judge in Dallas, Texas, on April 24, 2025.
Roberts also has a prior weapons-related arrest dating back to February 5, 2020, though the current status of that case remains unclear.
The investigation into how Roberts obtained the firearm has been referred to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), as federal law prohibits individuals without lawful immigration status from possessing firearms or ammunition.
ICE ERO St. Paul Field Office Director Sam Olson issued a statement following the arrest:
โThis 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 be a wake-up call for our communities to the great work that our officers are doing every day to remove public safety threats. How this illegal alien was hired without work authorization, a final order of removal, and a prior weapons charge is beyond comprehension and should alarm the parents of that school district.โ
ICE expressed gratitude to the Iowa State Patrol for their assistance in the operation.
Roberts remains in ICE custody as the investigation continues.
Crime
Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis shot in the leg by an immigration agent in Minneapolis
On January 14, 2025, federal law enforcement personnel were engaged in a targeted enforcement operation involving Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national who has been present in the United States since 2022.
The operation escalated into a high-speed pursuit, a physical confrontation, and an ambush by multiple subjects, necessitating the use of a defensive firearm discharge by a federal agent.
At approximately 6:50 PM, federal officers initiated a targeted traffic stop of a vehicle operated by Sosa-Celis.
The subject refused to comply with law enforcement commands and attempted to flee the scene.
During the pursuit, the subjectโs vehicle collided with a stationary, parked car.
Following the collision, the subject abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene on foot.
A federal agent pursued the suspect on foot and successfully intercepted him. As the agent attempted to effect an arrest, the subject became combative, resulting in a violent struggle on the ground.
During this confrontation, two additional male subjects emerged from a nearby residence to intervene.
These individuals reportedly ambushed the agent, utilizing a snow shovel and a broom handle to strike the officer.
The situation escalated when the primary suspect, Sosa-Celis, regained his footing and joined the two additional subjects in the assault.
Reports indicate the suspect struck the agent with a blunt object (identified as either the shovel or broom handle).
Citing an immediate threat to his life while being outnumbered and actively assaulted by three individuals, the agent discharged his service weapon in self-defense.
The discharge struck Sosa-Celis in the lower extremity (leg). Following the shot, all three suspects retreated into a nearby apartment complex and initiated a barricade situation.
Following a brief standoff, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) successfully secured the perimeter and apprehended all three individuals without further injury.
Both the federal agent and Sosa-Celis were transported to a local medical facility for treatment.
Images from the scene showed Sosa-Celis conscious and alert during transport.
All three subjects involved in the assault are currently in the custody of ICE.
Further charges related to the assault on a federal officer and resisting arrest are pending review by the U.S. Attorneyโs Office.