Former Kansas mayor who pleaded guilty to illegal voting turns himself in to ICE

Former Kansas mayor who pleaded guilty to illegal voting turns himself in to ICE

Attorney says Ceballos was brought to the US from Mexico at age 4 and encouraged to register to vote at 18 on a school trip

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The former mayor of a small Kansas town who pleaded guilty last month in connection with illegally voting in several elections turned himself in to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Wednesday.

Jose Ceballos-Armendariz, a Mexican green card holder, appeared at the ICE office in Wichita, FOX4KC reported. He is being held in the ICE's detention facility in Chase County.

"I don’t know what’s going to happen," Ceballos said outside the facility. "I don’t know where they’re going to take me and what I can and can’t do inside there."

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Jose Ceballos, a green card holder from Mexico, pleaded guilty to illegally voting in American elections. (iStock/DHS)

Fox News Digital has reached out to Ceballos’ attorney for comment.

Ceballos, who formerly served as mayor of Coldwater, Kansas, for two terms, pleaded guilty in April to three counts of disorderly election conduct following a prosecution by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach’s office.

He was issued a green card in 1990 and applied for U.S. citizenship in February. Ceballos also has a prior conviction for battery from 1995.

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Documents reviewed by Fox News Digital show Jose Ceballos-Armendariz checked that he was a U.S. citizen on a Kansas voter registration form, which authorities say was false. (Department of Homeland Security)

On his citizenship application, Ceballos allegedly falsely claimed that he had never previously claimed to be a U.S. citizen.

He stated he thought his status as a green card holder with legal permanent residency gave him the right to vote in U.S. elections, FOXKC reported. Ceballos said he felt "misled" because he believed his situation would be resolved following his plea deal.

"Obviously, we’ll go through the process," Ceballos said. "We’ll do what they want us to do and, you know, take one day at a time. Just do what they ask; that is my goal."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis advocated for the SAVE America Act, the federal legislation designed to require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.

"The SAVE program is a critical tool for state and local governments to safeguard the integrity of elections across the country," she said. "President Trump has been unequivocal: Nothing is more fundamental than the integrity and security of our elections. That’s why the Trump Administration has repeatedly called on Congress to pass the SAVE America Act — commonsense legislation that requires voters to present photo ID and implements other critical measures to protect federal elections from fraud. Our elections belong to American citizens, not foreign citizens."

Since April 2025, more than 24,000 cases have been identified by SAVE as potential non-U.S. citizens who were on voter rolls, DHS said. Those cases have been referred to ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for further investigation.

Authorities say Jose Ceballos-Armendariz, shown inset, unlawfully voted in U.S. elections despite not being a citizen, according to DHS. He turned himself in to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday. (Keith Srakocic, File ; Department of Homeland Security/AP Photo)

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Ceballos’ attorney, Jess Hoeme, told the news outlet that his client was brought to the United States from Mexico when he was 4 years old. He added that Ceballos was encouraged to register to vote at age 18 on the spot during a school field trip to the Comanche County courthouse.

"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."

Fox News Digital's Charles Creitz contributed to this report.

Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to louis.casiano@fox.com.

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