The career of Dr Ian Roberts, a proud son of Guyana who rose to lead the largest public school district in Iowa, has been thrown into turmoil after state officials revoked his license to serve as superintendent.The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners on Saturday, September 28, stripped Roberts of his professional administrator’s license, citing that he no longer has legal presence in the United States. The decision follows his arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) just two days earlier.In a blunt letter, BOEE Executive Director Michael Cavin told Roberts: “Our office has received information that you no longer possess legal presence in the United States… the license issued by the Board of Educational Examiners is no longer valid and your authority to serve as superintendent is revoked.”The revocation comes only a year after Roberts, who grew up in Georgetown, Guyana, and once represented the country as a track and field athlete, was celebrated for his appointment as Superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools. Many Guyanese at home and abroad had hailed his rise as a story of perseverance, from the lanes of Guyana’s athletics tracks to the helm of one of America’s major school districts.Now, his future hangs in the balance. ICE officials say Roberts had been under a “final order of removal” since May 2024, linked to a longstanding immigration case. He has been detained at the Woodbury County Jail since his arrest, with mounting calls from the community for his release. Protests have already erupted outside the Federal Building in Des Moines, with parents, students, and civil rights advocates rallying in his defence.Roberts’ fall from grace has also raised questions about how he was cleared for the job in 2023, despite undergoing several background checks, and whether there were gaps in the vetting process. His license, originally valid until December 2028, is now terminated, though he has until October 28 to appeal the decision.Only two months ago, Roberts was seen smiling and celebrating at the ribbon-cutting of a new basketball court at McCombs Middle School, made possible by WNBA star Caitlin Clark’s foundation. Today, he is fighting to stay in the country he has served as an educator for decades.For many in Guyana and across the diaspora, Roberts’ story is bittersweet—a reminder of the heights Guyanese talent can reach abroad, but also of the fragile realities faced by immigrants chasing the American dream.The post UPDATE: Guyanese-born U.S. Superintendent loses license amid deportation fight appeared first on News Room Guyana.