A former mayor from a small Kansas community was arrested by federal immigration officials on Wednesday following his admission last year that he participated in elections without U.S. citizenship.
Joe Ceballos, a Mexico-born legal permanent resident of the United States, was apprehended during a scheduled appointment at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Wichita, Kansas, his lawyer Jess Hoeme confirmed. The attorney stated that Ceballos is now concerned about potential deportation.
The 55-year-old stepped down from his position as Coldwater’s mayor in December as he faced state criminal charges for casting ballots as a non-citizen. During his 2025 citizenship application process, Ceballos confessed in an interview that he had participated in voting, unaware that permanent residents with green cards are not eligible, Hoeme explained.
Criminal charges were filed against Ceballos for illegal voting, but he entered a guilty plea in April to reduced misdemeanor charges through an agreement with the Kansas attorney general. His situation has captured the Trump administration’s focus and rallied local supporters, with some displaying placards that read “We Support Mayor Joe” and “ICE Out” while Ceballos entered the federal facility in Wichita.
“Let Joe go!” supporters shouted.
“Thinking what could happen — it’s just kind of crazy,” Ceballos told reporters. “Obviously nervous. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know where they’re going to take me and what I can and can’t do inside there.”
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond immediately to requests for comment via email.
Trump and fellow Republicans have been highlighting concerns about non-citizen voting since the start of the 2024 presidential campaign. Studies, including those conducted by Republican election officials, indicate such incidents are uncommon.
During this year, Trump has been urging Congressional Republicans to approve the SAVE Act, which would mandate documented citizenship verification for voter registration and participation.
The current administration has also substantially enhanced a Homeland Security program designed to verify citizenship status. At least 25 states, primarily under Republican leadership, have utilized this system to audit their voter registration databases.
Ceballos arrived in the United States from Mexico with relatives when he was 4 years old. Hoeme indicated that legal representatives will attempt to secure his release on bond through an immigration judge.
The attorney explained that Ceballos, at 18 years old, was prompted to register for voting immediately during an educational field trip to the Comanche County courthouse. In previous media interviews, Ceballos has stated that he supported Republican candidates.
He secured the mayor’s office twice in Coldwater, a community of 700 residents, and previously served as a city council member. Ceballos earned re-election in November but stepped down after state Attorney General Kris Kobach filed charges for unqualified voting and election perjury.
Kobach’s office ultimately negotiated a settlement with Ceballos. He admitted guilt to disorderly election conduct, which Hoeme characterized as a misdemeanor comparable to disturbing the peace.
“He has not been convicted of any kind of voter fraud. It should not have impacted his immigration status,” Hoeme said. “The Trump administration and ICE have doubled down on nonsense that he is a criminal.”
Ceballos has maintained strong community support in Coldwater, where a local newspaper advertisement in The Western Star urged residents to back him.
“He’s kind of got to live the American dream, to come from absolutely nothing and build up — I don’t know about wealth — but to build up a business and have a job and be a productive part of society,” longtime friend Ryan Swayze told Wichita station KAKE-TV.
