Ex-Coldwater mayor detained by ICE in Wichita
Immigration and Customs Enforcement took the former mayor of a small Kansas town into custody Wednesday, less than a month after he reached a plea deal with Kansas prosecutors for voting as a non-citizen, according to reporting from the Associated Press.
Joe Ceballos, 55, turned himself in to immigration authorities at ICE’s east Wichita field office Wednesday, according to The Wichita Eagle.
Ceballos pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of disorderly election conduct in Comanche County court April 20, agreeing to pay a $2,000 fine and serve a year of probation.
The former Coldwater mayor was initially charged with six voting-related felonies for voting illegally as a non-citizen.
Originally from Mexico, Ceballos moved to the United States as a child. He was granted a green card in 1990, and applied for U.S. citizenship in February 2025.
According to the Associated Press, Ceballos said he was unaware green card holders didn’t qualify to vote.
The Star’s Matthew Kelly contributed reporting.
