Mexican-Born Kansas Mayor Pleads Guilty to Illegally Voting in U.S. Elections

Coldwater, Kansas, Mayor Jose Ceballos, a green card-holder from Mexico, has pleaded guilty to illegally voting in United States elections and falsely claiming to be an American citizen.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials credited the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program, which allows states to enter Social Security Numbers (SSNs) to verify a voter registrant’s American citizenship and thus eligibility to vote, and urged passage of the SAVE Act.

“This alien has now been convicted of illegally voting in American elections,” the DHS’s Lauren Bis 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. 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. [Emphasis added]

This week, Ceballos pled guilty to three counts of disorderly election conduct. Ceballos was first issued a green card in 1990 and had applied for naturalized American citizenship in February 2025.

In a sympathetic New York Times profile, Ceballos said he was unaware that he was breaking federal law when he voted in U.S. elections, for Republicans, as a green card-holder. Prosecutors said Ceballos falsely claimed American citizenship on his voter registration form.

Ceballos said the government first found out about his illegal voting in U.S. elections when he told U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officials that he voted multiple times while applying for naturalized citizenship last year.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com.