Mayor Busted for Illegal Voting Now Surrenders to ICE

A former small-town Kansas mayor who once held public office is now sitting in ICE custody after admitting he illegally voted in multiple American elections while living in the United States as a noncitizen.

Jose Ceballos-Armendariz, a former two-term mayor of Coldwater, Kansas, turned himself in to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday after pleading guilty last month to election-related crimes tied to unlawful voting.

The case is quickly becoming a flashpoint in the growing national battle over election security, voter ID laws, and whether noncitizens are slipping onto voter rolls undetected.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Ceballos told reporters outside the ICE office in Wichita before being taken into custody. “I don’t know where they’re going to take me and what I can and can’t do inside there.”

According to authorities, Ceballos — a Mexican national and green card holder — unlawfully voted in several U.S. elections despite not being an American citizen. He pleaded guilty in April to three counts of disorderly election conduct after an investigation led by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach’s office.

The stunning case raised eyebrows nationwide because Ceballos wasn’t just another voter. He served as mayor of Coldwater, a tiny Kansas community, for two separate terms while allegedly participating in elections he legally should not have been voting in.

Documents reviewed by authorities reportedly showed Ceballos checked a box claiming he was a U.S. citizen on a Kansas voter registration form — a declaration investigators say was false.

Officials also say he later claimed on his citizenship application that he had never falsely represented himself as a U.S. citizen, creating even more legal trouble for the former mayor.

Ceballos, however, insists he believed he was allowed to vote because he had lived in the U.S. legally for decades as a permanent resident.

He received his green card in 1990 after reportedly being brought to America from Mexico at just 4 years old.

His attorney, Jess Hoeme, argued that Ceballos was encouraged to register to vote during a school field trip to the Comanche County courthouse when he turned 18.

“I thought our system was smarter and better than this,” Hoeme said. “I thought there was a degree of humanity and dignity included in the process. That doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.”

Still, immigration authorities appear to be taking a hard line.

The Department of Homeland Security used the case to push support for the SAVE America Act, legislation strongly backed by Republicans and the Trump administration that would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register for federal elections.

In a statement, DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said protecting election integrity remains a top priority.

“President Trump has been unequivocal: Nothing is more fundamental than the integrity and security of our elections,” Bis said. “Our elections belong to American citizens, not foreign citizens.”

DHS also revealed that since April 2025, more than 24,000 potential noncitizens have allegedly been identified on voter rolls through the federal SAVE system. Those cases have reportedly been referred to Homeland Security Investigations for further review.

The case is already fueling fierce debate online, with critics calling it proof stricter election safeguards are needed, while others argue the situation highlights failures and confusion within the immigration and voter registration systems themselves.

For now, Ceballos remains in ICE custody in Chase County as his future in the United States hangs in limbo.