Democrat Arrested After ICE Found Out He’s NOT a US Citizen
The former mayor of a conservative Kansas town was taken into custody by immigration authorities on Wednesday after admitting last year that he voted in elections despite not being a U.S. citizen.
Joe Ceballos, a lawful permanent U.S. resident born in Mexico, was detained during a meeting at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Wichita, according to his attorney, Jess Hoeme.
It just passed – Americans wanted to see this
Hoeme said Ceballos now fears possible deportation.
TCeballos, 55, resigned as mayor of Coldwater in December while facing state charges related to unlawful voting by a noncitizen.
According to his attorney, he acknowledged during a 2025 citizenship interview that he had voted without realizing green card holders are not eligible to participate in federal elections.
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Ceballos later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in a plea agreement with the office of the Kansas attorney general after initially being charged with illegal voting.
The case has drawn attention from the Trump administration and prompted demonstrations of support in his hometown. Supporters gathered outside the federal building in Wichita, holding signs reading “We Support Mayor Joe” and “ICE Out” as Ceballos entered the building.
“Thinking what could happen — it’s just kind of crazy,” Ceballos told reporters. “Obviously nervous. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know where they’re going to take me and what I can and can’t do inside there.”
This year, Donald Trump has urged Republicans in Congress to pass the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require documented proof of U.S. citizenship in order to register to vote.
The administration has also expanded a Department of Homeland Security program used to verify citizenship status. At least 25 states, most of them led by Republicans, have used the system to review voter registration rolls.
Joe Ceballos was brought to the United States from Mexico by family members when he was 4 years old. His attorney, Jess Hoeme, said the next step will be seeking his release on bond before an immigration judge.
Hoeme said Ceballos registered to vote at age 18 during a school trip to the Comanche County Courthouse, where students were encouraged to sign up on site, the Associated Press reported.
He was elected twice as mayor of Coldwater, a town of roughly 700 residents, and also served on the city council. Although he won reelection in November, he resigned after Kris Kobach charged him with unlawful voting and election perjury.
Democrats and their media allies continue to argue that “vote fraud is rare,” but the Justice
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Harmeet Dhillon, announced in March that a comprehensive review conducted by the DOJ of approximately 50 to 60 million voter records has revealed hundreds of thousands of ineligible registrations.
The audit of voter registration records found more than 300,000 deceased individuals still listed as active voters, as well as tens of thousands of non-citizens who have already cast ballots in federal elections.
Inaccurate voting rolls combined with shotgunning mail-in ballots to every address listed on them can lead to widespread vote fraud, Republicans have repeatedly argued.
Dhillon’s team has been actively addressing the issue of inaccurate voter rolls since President Trump took office.
In December 2025, a report noted that an initial review of 47.5 million records revealed over 260,000 deceased voters and thousands of illegal registrations.
The situation has now worsened, and the assessment only covers a limited number of states that have agreed to cooperate.
“We have run some records for some states. So, I think we’ve run something between 50 and 60 million voter records so far. And, you know, during this president’s tenure, we have found hundreds of thousands of people who shouldn’t be on the voter rolls—people who are dead, people who have moved, and duplicate registrations,” Dhillon told Newsmax TV at the time.
Serious Threat To Our Country' - Trump Issues Dire Warning To The Nation, Names The Biggest Challenge Americans Face
THE RED DILEMMA: Trump Outlines Midterm War Script at Road to Majority Summit After Socialist Swings Fracture New York Base
WASHINGTON, D.C. — JUNE 29, 2026 — President Donald Trump warned Friday that a wave of far-left victories in New York City’s Democratic primaries represents one of the greatest dangers facing the United States, arguing the results should serve as a wake-up call ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Speaking before thousands at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual Road to Majority conference in Washington, Trump blasted the Democratic Party’s leftward shift after several candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani scored major primary victories earlier this week.
“These ruthless communists will attack all religions, but in particular Christianity,” Trump told the audience.
“This is the greatest threat to our country since its founding.”
Trump’s remarks came just days after three progressive candidates supported by Mamdani won Democratic primary races in New York, including two members of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Their victories have fueled growing Republican efforts to portray the Democratic Party as increasingly dominated by its progressive wing heading into the 2026 midterm elections.
Trump argued that the movement extends beyond economic policy and represents a broader ideological threat.
At one point during his speech, the president described communists as “animals” who would assassinate their political opponents, though he did not offer evidence supporting that claim.
The remarks carried additional significance because Trump was speaking at the Washington Hilton, the same hotel where an armed man attempted to breach security while the president attended the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in April.
Authorities later identified the suspect as 31-year-old California resident Cole Tomas Allen, who has pleaded not guilty to charges that he attempted to assassinate the president.
Security around Friday’s event appeared noticeably tighter, with additional guards stationed throughout the venue and several entrances blocked off.
Republicans have increasingly seized on the New York primary results as evidence that Democrats are moving further left while voters remain primarily concerned about inflation, housing costs and the broader economy.
Political observers have suggested the victories give Republicans fresh material as they seek to defend their narrow congressional majorities this fall.
The candidates backed by Mamdani defeated two incumbent House Democrats and another candidate supported by the Democratic establishment.
While Republicans frequently characterize Democratic Socialists as communists, democratic socialism generally advocates expanding government-run social programs through the electoral process rather than replacing democratic institutions.
Many candidates aligned with the movement support policies including universal health care, tuition-free public college, expanded child care programs, stronger labor protections and higher taxes on wealthy Americans.
Several have also made opposition to U.S. military aid to Israel and support for Palestinians central themes of their campaigns.
Democrats quickly rejected Trump’s characterization.
Aidan Johnson, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, argued Republicans were attempting to distract voters from substantive issues.
“Know they can’t win on the issues, so we’re seeing them melt down in real time, resorting to ineffective boogeyman attacks,” Johnson said.
Trump’s appearance also highlighted some of the tensions within his own political coalition.
The president has remained popular with many evangelical Christians by backing policies such as protecting women’s sports and opposing biological males competing in female athletics.
At the same time, some pro-Israel Christians have criticized Trump’s ceasefire agreement with Iran, while some anti-abortion advocates have argued the administration has not gone far enough on pro-life priorities.
During Friday’s speech, Trump defended his handling of Iran and declared that his administration had successfully prevented Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
The Faith and Freedom Coalition gathering has long served as one of the Republican Party’s premier events for evangelical voters and conservative activists, Reuters reported.
With the midterm elections approaching, Trump’s speech offered a preview of what is likely to become a central Republican campaign message: portraying the Democratic Party’s progressive wing as increasingly driving the party’s agenda while urging voters to reject what Republicans view as an increasingly radical political movement.
