ICE detention of Des Moines superintendent Ian Roberts sparks days of protests

Hundreds of Des Moines parents, teachers and students have protested the detainment and possible deportation of Ian Roberts, the popular school district leader.

DES MOINES, Iowa — On Tuesday, hundreds of students walked out of middle and high schools across the city to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detention of Ian Andre Roberts, the now-former superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district.

In the afternoon, several dozen students gathered at the State Capitol, calling for Roberts’ release from the Sioux City jail where he’s being held, and holding signs reading “Radical Empathy,” a tagline he frequently used.

“I don’t think anyone really cares about the fact he’s illegal,” said Gabriel Doyle Scar, 17, who helped organize the protest. “We’re just sad about the fact that an extremely nice man that supported us heavily and really strongly is now taken away from us.”

During rush hour that night, roughly 20 people displayed a banner from a bridge over the interstate that cuts across the center of the city reading “Free Dr. Roberts,” as dozens of cars and large trucks honked in support as they passed underneath.

Supporters draped a banner over Interstate 235 in Des Moines reading “Free Dr. Roberts” on Tuesday.Tyler Kingkade / NBC NewsRoberts had been the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools when ICE arrested him early Friday, accusing him of being in the country without authorization. ICE has said he tried to evade arrest and was found with a loaded gun in his district-issued car, a hunting knife and $3,000 in cash. At a news conference earlier this week, his lawyer, Alfredo Parrish, didn’t discuss those allegations. Through Parrish, Roberts submitted a letter of resignation Tuesday, writing that he didn’t want to be a distraction while he tried to stop his deportation.