Former Kansas Mayor Detained by ICE After Noncitizen Voting Plea

Joe Ceballos, the former mayor of Coldwater, Kansas, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement this week in Wichita after pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges related to voting as a noncitizen. The 55-year-old legal permanent resident, who was brought to the United States from Mexico at age 4, faces potential deportation proceedings.

Ceballos served eight years on the Coldwater city council before winning two terms as mayor, including a landslide victory with more than 80 percent of the vote in his second election last November. He resigned shortly after that re-election upon facing state charges. While pursuing U.S. citizenship in 2025, Ceballos disclosed during an interview that he had voted in elections, including three presidential contests. He told interviewers he registered to vote at age 18 during a high school field trip to the Comanche County courthouse, believing his status allowed it.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach charged Ceballos with voting without qualification and election perjury. In April, Ceballos pleaded guilty to three counts of disorderly election conduct, a misdemeanor comparable to disturbing the peace. A state judge sentenced him to...