International media have reported the curious case of a former mayor of Kansas who was detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) for allegedly having voted illegally for Donald Trump in the 2024 elections.
According to the story cited by the media The Countrythe former official, named José “Joe” Ceballos, You could even face deportation proceedings.
The reasons? In the 2024 presidential elections, Ceballos would have voted for Donald Trump despite being permanent resident and non-U.S. citizen.
The former official, 55 years old, is originally from Mexico and arrived in the United States when he was four years old. According to The Countryin 1990 obtained permanent residencegreen card).
Since then he built his life in the small community of Coldwater, Kansas, where he not only worked on different community projects, He also started a family and later became mayor.
The media cites statements from Ceballos, who affirms that his problem began a long time ago, when he registered to vote during a school trip.
According to Ceballos, he believed that having residency permanent allowed him to vote in American elections.
Ceballos was accused in November 2025 of crimes such as voting without being legally authorized and perjury, charges that can carry several years in prison.
But in April of this year, the former official managed to reach an agreement with the authorities and pleaded guilty to three minor crimes of “improper electoral conduct.” According to The Country, He received probation and had to pay a fine of US$2,000.
This month, Ceballos received a notice from ICE ordering him to report to Wichita for be processed by immigration authorities.
At that time, the former official publicly declared that he voted for Trump in the 2024 elections and, according to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson, He could be expelled from the United States if convicted.
Read also: From ICE to NICE: Can Trump change the name of Immigration and Customs Enforcement?