Joe Ceballos, the former mayor of Coldwater, Kansas, was taken into custody by U.S. immigration authorities on Wednesday after admitting last year that he had voted in elections despite not being a U.S. citizen. Ceballos, 55, is a lawful permanent resident who moved to the U.S. from Mexico at the age of four. He resigned as mayor in December 2025 amid state charges related to unlawful voting.
According to his attorney, Jess Hoeme, Ceballos registered to vote at age 18 during a school-organized trip to the Comanche County Courthouse. During a 2025 citizenship interview, he acknowledged that he had not realized green card holders are ineligible to vote in federal elections. Ceballos later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in a plea agreement with the Kansas attorney general’s office.
Ceballos’ detention prompted demonstrations of support outside a federal building in Wichita, with local residents holding signs advocating for his release. “Obviously nervous. I don’t know what’s going to happen, I don’t know where they’re going to take me,” Ceballos told reporters as he entered the building. His attorney indicated that the next step will involve seeking bond before an immigration judge.
The case comes amid ongoing debates about election integrity and voter eligibility. The Trump administration has pushed for the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote. The Department of Homeland Security has also expanded programs to verify citizenship status, with at least 25 states reviewing voter registration rolls using this system.
Federal authorities continue to report findings of ineligible voters in the registration system. In March 2026, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon stated that audits of roughly 50–60 million voter records uncovered hundreds of thousands of ineligible registrations, including deceased individuals and non-citizens. Officials have emphasized that maintaining accurate voter rolls is key to preventing errors and ensuring confidence in federal elections.