Former Kansas mayor detained by ICE after pleading guilty to illegal voting charges
By Hayden CunninghamThe former mayor of Coldwater, Kansas, turned himself in to Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) on Wednesday after pleading guilty to illegally voting in
multiple elections.
Jose Ceballos-Armendariz, a Mexican national and lawful
permanent resident with a green card, turned himself in at an ICE office in
Wichita. He is currently being held at the ICE Chase County detention facility.
"I don’t know what’s going to happen," Ceballos
said at the facility. "I don’t know where they’re going to take me and
what I can and can’t do inside there."
Ceballos previously served two terms as mayor of Coldwater. In April, he
pleaded guilty to three counts of disorderly conduct after a prosecution by the
Kansas Attorney General’s office.
Ceballos was granted his green card in 1990. He also has a
prior 1995 battery conviction.
In January, Ceballos applied for US citizenship, where he falsely stated that
he had never previously claimed to be a US citizen.
According to FOX Kansas City, Ceballos said he believed a green
card gave him the right to vote. He also said he felt “misled” into believing
his legal issues would be resolved through his plea agreement.
"Obviously, we’ll go through the process," Ceballos said. "We’ll
do what they want us to do and, you know, take one day at a time. Just do what
they ask; that is my goal."
In response to the incident, DHS Acting Assistant Secretary
Lauren Bis issued a statement to Fox News advocating for the SAVE America Act.
"The SAVE program is a critical tool for state and local governments to
safeguard the integrity of elections across the country," she said.
"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."
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