A barrier made of police tape that on Tuesday kept a crowd of protesters away from the U.S. Homeland Security Building in Cedar Rapids — where a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office is housed — could soon be replaced by a seven-foot, chain-link fence.
Roberts proved Republicans’ points better than Republicans ever could
The superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district, who was detained last week by immigration agents, was charged Thursday in federal court with possessing firearms while in the U.S. illegally, prosecutors said.
The jail roster for the Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center no longer lists former Des Moines Superintendent Ian Roberts as a detainee. He had been jailed there, by the federal government, since last Friday.
Hundreds of people showed up Wednesday when Escucha Mi Voz, an Iowa City nonprofit that champions immigrant rights in Iowa, hosted a protest outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices in Cedar Rapids to show support for immigrants and to push back against increased ICE arrests.
The superintendent of Iowa's largest school district, who was detained last week by immigration agents, falsely claimed a doctoral degree when applying for the job two years ago but was hired even after the school board learned about the misrepresentation.
Former Superintendent Ian Roberts had been under the impression from a prior attorney that his immigration case was “resolved successfully,” said attorney Alfredo Parrish.
A state educational licensing board has revoked the license of Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts following his arrest by federal immigration officers last week.
Several dozen Sioux City area residents showed up to the Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center on Saturday afternoon to show support for Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts, who was arrested Friday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and is being held in the jail.
In her first extended statement since Friday’s arrest of Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Saturday called the incident “shocking“ and said, ”We must enforce the law every time to protect our families and our future.“
Laura Castro was shocked and overwhelmed Thursday when she saw the video a bystander recorded of her fiancee, Jorge Gonzalez Ochoa, being tackled by three plainclothes men — who identified themselves as federal agents — and put in handcuffs while he was working at the Bread Garden Market in Iowa City.
Federal immigration agents arrested the leader of Iowa’s largest school district Friday in a targeted enforcement action that shocked students and educators.
An Iowa City man was arrested Thursday at Bread Garden Market in the Iowa City Pedestrian Mall, by three plainclothes men who — in a bystander video of the incident — identified themselves only as “federal agents.”
The U.S. General Services Administration is looking to lease office space in Des Moines and several other cities across the country for “law enforcement operations.” Immigration advocates in Iowa fear that could mean an additional processing facility and detention center for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Iowa Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Rob Sand blasted Gov. Kim Reynolds’ efficiency task force as partisan, vowed to veto changes to Iowa’s public pension system, and pushed for more oversight of private school vouchers at a Cedar Rapids town hall.
© 2025 The Gazette | All Rights Reserved.
Daily Newsletters