A Mayor From Small-Town Kansas Faces Deportation Over Voter Fraud Charges
A twice-elected Republican mayor of a Kansas town is facing deportation for voter fraud. Jose “Joe” Ceballos has been the mayor of Coldwater, Kansas, since he was first elected in 2021. He was reelected on Nov. 5, 2025. He was running unopposed. The charges of voter fraud were filed against Ceballos on Nov. 6, 2025, the day after he won his reelection. Here’s what we know about the case and why he is facing voter fraud charges.
Jose “Joe” Ceballos, a twice-elected Republican mayor in Kansas, is facing deportation
In Kansas, the town of Coldwater is grappling with a voter fraud scandal rocking city hall. Jose “Joe” Ceballos, who has served the town as mayor since 2021, is facing election fraud charges, according to the officers of Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach. The charges allege that Ceballos “unlawfully, feloniously, and knowingly” attempted to vote or did vote without being qualified.
“In Kansas, it is against the law to vote if you are not a U.S. citizen,” Attorney General Kobach said in a statement. “We allege that Mr. Ceballos did it multiple times.”
Kobach added, “Voting by noncitizens, including both legal and illegal aliens, is a very real problem. It happens. Every time a noncitizen votes, it effectively cancels out a U.S. citizen’s vote.”
Ceballos is facing three counts of voting without being qualified and three counts of election perjury. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Ceballos applied to become a US citizen in February 2025. He was issued a green card in 1990 after immigrating with his family from Mexico.
According to The Wichita Eagle, Ceballos claims to have voted in every election since 1991. Ceballos claims that he wasn’t aware that he wasn’t eligible to vote. He assumed that being a legal permanent resident meant that he was able to vote. This week, Ceballos submitted his resignation as mayor of Coldwater, Kansas.
The federal government is focused on removing him
According to a press release from DHS, Ceballos is facing deportation after voting without being a US citizen. The federal government, in the press release, is pointing out two other crimes he committed. According to the press release, Ceballos broke the law when claiming to be a US citizen when registering to vote and then saying he never claimed to be a US citizen on his naturalization papers.
“This alien committed a felony by voting in American elections. If convicted, he will be placed in removal proceedings. President Trump and Secretary Noem gave states access to the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to ensure only Americans vote in American elections,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “The SAVE program is a critical tool for state and local governments to safeguard the integrity of elections across the country. Our elections belong to American citizens, not foreign citizens.”
Ceballo’s case is still working its way through the legal system. If convicted, he will be deported back to Mexico. He told Newsweek that he is afraid to be sent back to Mexico. He has not been in the country since he was four years old, and he claims he has lost his Spanish over the years.
