- Republican mayor Jose Ceballos, a longtime green card holder, faces felony voting and perjury charges that could lead to deportation and prison.
- The case highlights tensions between strict immigration enforcement and local loyalties, testing national voter-fraud priorities against everyday immigrant realities.
COLDWATER, Kan. — In the quiet plains of southern Kansas, where windmills spin lazily against endless skies and pickup trucks outnumber pedestrians, Jose Ceballos has spent nearly four decades building a life he thought was as American as apple pie.
A green card holder since 1990, the 62-year-old Mexican immigrant worked odd jobs, raised a family, and eventually climbed the ranks of local politics to become mayor of this tiny Comanche County town of just over 800 souls.
But now, that life hangs in the balance, threatened by federal charges that could strip him of everything: his elected office, his freedom, and possibly his home in the country he calls his own.
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Details of the Felony Accusations
Ceballos, a registered Republican who’s proudly cast ballots for his party’s candidates, including Donald Trump, faces felony accusations of voting illegally in three elections.
The case, which erupted into headlines last month, isn’t just a local scandal—it’s a stark flashpoint where two of the Trump administration’s fiercest priorities collide: rooting out voter fraud and enforcing ironclad immigration rules.
If convicted, Ceballos won’t just risk prison time; the Department of Homeland Security has vowed to deport him, thrusting a small-town leader into the crosshairs of a national debate on citizenship and the ballot box.
The charges against Ceballos read like a procedural drama: three counts of voting without being qualified and three counts of election perjury, tied to elections in November 2022, November 2023, and August 2024.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, a longtime architect of strict voting laws, leveled the accusations in court documents that paint a picture of a man who, according to prosecutors, knowingly misrepresented his status to participate in democracy.
Kobach’s office alleges Ceballos claimed U.S. citizenship on voter registration forms, despite holding only permanent residency.
For Ceballos, the allegations come as a gut punch. Speaking to The Wichita Eagle amid the unfolding storm, he laid bare his confusion and regret.
The Mayor’s Response
“I had probably voted for Trump three times and always voted for all the Republicans,” he said.
He added that he’d cast a ballot in every election since 1991, under the honest but mistaken belief that his green card conferred full citizenship rights.
“I thought my permanent residency made me a citizen.”
Ceballos isn’t some shadowy operative—he’s a fixture in Coldwater, elected mayor in 2021 on a platform of community service and conservative values.
Records from the Comanche County Clerk’s Office show he’s been a registered Republican since 2020, aligning with the party’s emphasis on law and order.
His story echoes the experiences of countless immigrants who arrive with big dreams, navigate the labyrinth of U.S. bureaucracy, and assume they’ve crossed the finish line.
Ceballos applied for naturalization in February 2025, a step toward formal citizenship that now feels like too little, too late.
The federal response has been swift and unyielding.
DHS Official Statement
Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin didn’t mince words in a November 13 statement:
“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.
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.”
Kobach, who announced the charges on November 5, framed the case as a straightforward matter of law.
“In Kansas, it is against the law to vote if you are not a U.S. citizen,” he said in a statement.
“We allege that Mr. Ceballos did it multiple times.”
For Kobach, a vocal skeptic of election security, this prosecution serves as exhibit A in his ongoing crusade against what he sees as vulnerabilities in the system—a crusade that’s drawn national attention, especially in a state where Trump won by 15 points in 2024.
Local Government Statements
Yet the case also underscores a painful irony. Republicans, including Trump, have long decried voter fraud as an existential threat to democracy, often citing unproven claims from the 2020 election to justify sweeping reforms.
But data from nonpartisan watchdogs consistently shows such incidents are vanishingly rare—fewer than 100 proven cases nationwide in recent cycles, out of billions of votes cast.
Ceballos’ situation flips the script: Here, the accused is a GOP stalwart, caught not in some grand conspiracy but in a personal misunderstanding of immigration fine print.
Back in Coldwater, the scandal has rippled through the close-knit community like a prairie fire.
The town’s single stoplight and annual rodeo suddenly feel worlds away from Washington.
Britt Lenertz, president of the Coldwater City Council, struck a measured tone when speaking to KAKE News.
“At this time, our focus remains on ensuring that city operations continue to run smoothly and that the needs of our community are met,” she said.
“While the recent allegations involving the mayor are understandably concerning, we will allow the proper legal process to take its course before making any further comments.
It’s important that we respect both due process and the integrity of our local government.”
Local Residents Speak Out
Residents, many of whom know Ceballos from church potlucks or high school football games, are divided.
Some whisper about betrayal; others rally around the man who has fixed potholes and championed local farms.
“He’s one of us,” said a longtime neighbor who declined to give her name, fearing backlash.
“This feels like the feds picking on a guy who just wanted to belong.”
Others nod to the rule of law, echoing the administration’s hard line on borders.
Coldwater’s story, in microcosm, mirrors the nation’s: a place where personal loyalty clashes with political absolutes.
As the Trump White House doubles down on mass deportations and border fortifications—promising to end benefits for unauthorized immigrants and expand tools like SAVE—the Ceballos case serves as a warning shot.
It’s a reminder that even those who’ve toed the line for decades can find themselves on the wrong side of the ledger.
What Happens Now?
Ceballos arrived from Mexico as a young man, chasing opportunity in the heartland.
He built a home, voted with conviction, and led his town.
Now, with his citizenship application pending and DHS watching closely, that home feels fragile.
What happens if the scales tip toward conviction? Ceballos could face more than five years behind bars and fines up to $200,000—penalties that would upend not just his life, but Coldwater’s.
His next court appearance is set for December 3, a date circled on calendars across Comanche County.
Will it end in exoneration, a reduced plea, or the beginning of a forced return to Mexico?
For now, the mayor’s office sits quiet; FrankNez Media reached out after hours, but no response came.
In a nation wrestling with who gets to call it home, Jose Ceballos’ fate isn’t just his own—it’s a litmus test for how far the crackdown will reach, and whether the American dream bends for those who believed they’d already grasped it.
As the plains wind howls outside Coldwater’s modest city hall, one thing’s clear: This story’s far from over.
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