ICE Detains Ex-Kansas Mayor Joe Ceballos Who Voted Illegally
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- Joe Ceballos, a green card holder and former small-town mayor in Coldwater, Kansas, was detained by federal immigration authorities after pleading guilty to misdemeanors related to holding office and voting without U.S. citizenship.
- Despite being sentenced to probation last month, Ceballos was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is currently held at a Kansas jail under ICE contract.
- His lawyer, Sarah L. Balderas, indicated that the government is likely seeking his deportation, and Ceballos plans to fight the removal proceedings and request bond during the immigration court process.
- Balderas highlighted Ceballos’s strong community ties and long residence in the U.S. as factors that could influence the outcome of his case.
- The Department of Homeland Security has not publicly commented on the detention, but Ceballos’s case had previously drawn attention from the Trump administration.