ON OUR WEBSITE AND MOBILE APP. AND TODAY WE’RE GETTING OUR FIRST LOOK AT ROBERTS IMMIGRATION HISTORY. vlog BEAU BOWMAN JUST GOT A MORE CLEAR LIST OF DATES FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY THIS AFTERNOON. AND BO, THEY SAY HE FIRST CAME TO THE UNITED STATES IN 1994. YEAH. BEN. THEY SAY THAT ENTRY WAS ON A B-2 NONIMMIGRANT VISA. IT’S NOT CLEAR WHEN HE OBTAINED HIS FIRST STUDENT VISA, BUT THEY SAY HE FIRST USED IT WHEN HE ENTERED THE UNITED STATES IN 1999. FEBRUARY OF 2000 WAS THE FIRST TIME DHS SAYS ROBERTS APPLIED FOR WORK AUTHORIZATION. THEN, IN MAY OF 2001, ROBERTS FILED HIS FIRST APPLICATION FOR A GREEN CARD, WHICH WAS DENIED. HE APPLIED THREE MORE TIMES IN MAY, JUNE, AND JULY OF 2018, ALL OF WHICH WERE DENIED. DHS SAYS HE MAINTAINED WORK AUTHORIZATION THROUGH DECEMBER OF 2020 AND MAY OF 2024. AN IMMIGRATION JUDGE ISSUED ROBERTS ROBERTS A FINAL REMOVAL ORDER. THEY SAY ROBERTS THEN ATTEMPTED TO REOPEN THIS CASE, BUT THAT MOTION WAS DENIED. THAT’S THE LAST ENTRY IN DHS TIMELINE BEFORE HIS ARREST LAST FRIDAY. NOW, IT’S NOT CLEAR IF ROBERTS WILL BE DEPORTED OR KEPT HERE IN THE UNITED STATES TO FACE HIS CRIMINAL CHARGES. vlog DID REACH OUT TO ROBERTS ATTORNEY, ALFREDO PARRISH. HE SAYS HE MET WITH ROBERTS TODAY FOR SEVERAL HOURS TO TALK ABOUT HIS TIMELINE. WE’RE LIVE IN
Ian Roberts' full criminal and immigration histories, according to Department of Homeland Security
![vlog logo]()
Updated: 9:49 AM CDT Oct 5, 2025
Editorial Standards ⓘ
The Department of Homeland Security released the full criminal history of former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Ian Roberts. Roberts’ criminal record spans decades and multiple states: On July 3, 1996, DHS said he was arrested in New York for criminal possession of narcotics with intent to sell, criminal possession of narcotics, and possession of forged instruments. Then, on Nov. 13, 1998, investigators said Roberts was charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle in Queens, New York. The charge was dismissed in 1999. DHS said on Nov. 1, 2012, he was ticketed in Maryland for reckless driving, unsafe operation, and speeding. On Feb. 3, 2020, Roberts was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and fourth-degree weapon charges. DHS did not tell vlog what state these charges originated in. In November 2021, Roberts was given a citation for unlawful possession of a loaded firearm in Pennsylvania. Documents sent to us from the Pennsylvania Game Commission state that an officer searched Roberts' vehicle following a hunting trip. The officer said he found a rifle in a case in the back seat of the vehicle. The officer writes in the citation that there was a round in the chamber and four rounds in the magazine. Roberts pleaded guilty the following January. WATCH: What to know about DMPS lawsuit against firm used to hire ex-superintendent Ian RobertsRoberts’ immigration history reveals two student visas, denied green card applications, and deportation orders. He first entered the U.S. in 1994 on a B-2 tourist visa and later returned on an F-1 student visa in 1999. Despite multiple attempts to secure permanent residency, all four of his green card applications were denied. In 2024, an immigration judge in Dallas, Texas, ordered Roberts removed from the U.S. in absentia. Roberts' motion to reopen the case was denied in April 2025. Roberts was arrested by ICE officers on Sept. 26, 2025, and has been charged with being an illegal alien in possession of firearms.Roberts is now in custody with the U.S. Marshals. More about Ian Roberts' arrest» Subscribe to vlog's YouTube page» Download the free vlog app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Department of Homeland Security released the full criminal history of former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Ian Roberts.
Roberts’ criminal record spans decades and multiple states:
On July 3, 1996, DHS said he was arrested in New York for criminal possession of narcotics with intent to sell, criminal possession of narcotics, and possession of forged instruments.
Then, on Nov. 13, 1998, investigators said Roberts was charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle in Queens, New York. The charge was dismissed in 1999.
DHS said on Nov. 1, 2012, he was ticketed in Maryland for reckless driving, unsafe operation, and speeding.
On Feb. 3, 2020, Roberts was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and fourth-degree weapon charges. DHS did not tell vlog what state these charges originated in.
In November 2021, Roberts was given a citation for unlawful possession of a loaded firearm in Pennsylvania. Documents sent to us from the Pennsylvania Game Commission state that an officer searched Roberts' vehicle following a hunting trip. The officer said he found a rifle in a case in the back seat of the vehicle. The officer writes in the citation that there was a round in the chamber and four rounds in the magazine. Roberts pleaded guilty the following January.
WATCH: What to know about DMPS lawsuit against firm used to hire ex-superintendent Ian Roberts
Roberts’ immigration history reveals two student visas, denied green card applications, and deportation orders. He first entered the U.S. in 1994 on a B-2 tourist visa and later returned on an F-1 student visa in 1999. Despite multiple attempts to secure permanent residency, all four of his green card applications were denied.
In 2024, an immigration judge in Dallas, Texas, ordered Roberts removed from the U.S. in absentia. Roberts' motion to reopen the case was denied in April 2025.
Roberts was arrested by ICE officers on Sept. 26, 2025, and has been charged with being an illegal alien in possession of firearms.
Roberts is now in custody with the U.S. Marshals.
More about Ian Roberts' arrest
»
» Download the free vlog app to get updates on the go: |
