The Iowa school superintendent arrested by federal immigration authorities last week will step down from his role as leader of the state’s largest school district, his attorneys said Tuesday.

Ian Roberts will resign his position in a letter addressed to the Des Moines Public Schools board, his attorneys told reporters during a news conference. A motion to reopen his immigration case will be filed Tuesday, according to his legal team.

“We will today be sending a letter to the school board, authorized by Dr. Roberts to resign his position as superintendent,” Roberts’ attorney, Alfredo Parrish, told reporters during a news conference. “As we go through this process, step by step, we are going to be working on leaving no stone unturned. That’s our No. 1 priority as his attorneys.”

Authorities said a handgun was found in a vehicle used by Ian Roberts to flee from pursuing ICE agents.  (ICE)

The school board will meet Tuesday night to consider termination of Roberts’ contract or resignation, Phil Roeder, the district director of communications and public affairs, told Fox News Digital.

“A resignation for someone under contract does not take effect until the Board gives its approval,” he said in a statement.

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division also announced on Tuesday that it has launched a probe into DMPS over its hiring practices to determine whether the district discriminates against job candidates based on their color, race or national origin. 

“DEI initiatives and race-based hiring preferences in our schools violate federal anti-discrimination laws and undermine educational priorities,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon. “School districts must cease these unlawful programs and restore merit-based employment practices for the benefit of both students and employees.”

The DOJ cited the DMPS website, which states that the district requires its teaching and learning staff to match the student population in terms of “demographics and cultural responsivity.” 

“DMPS also set specific quotas for ‘increas[ing] the number of teachers of color’ in an affirmative action plan, the DOJ said. “Its staff retention strategy prioritizes ‘lift[ing] up voices of our People of Color’ and ‘creat[ing] a safer environment for People of Color.’ 

DMPS also operates the “3D Coalition” project, a recruitment and hiring program for “aspiring minority teachers,” it said. 

At Tuesday’s news conference, Parrish said Roberts has been a “tremendous asset” to the community and his students.

“His spirits are high,” Parrish said.

On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, a Republican who represents the Des Moines area, released a redacted excerpt of Roberts’ May 2024 removal order, which he obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

The document said that Roberts failed to show up to a removal hearing. Nunn also questioned how Roberts was hired in the first place, given his legal status.

“It is unacceptable that someone under a final order of deportation and without legal work authorization was allowed to lead Iowa’s largest public school system,” he said. “Every parent should be able to trust that school leaders are fully vetted, legally employed, and held to the highest standards of accountability.”