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Joe Ceballos — Republican Mayor of Coldwater, Kansas

Dossier opened: 2026-02-12
Type: 🐆 Leopards Ate My Face
Confidence: HIGH — Court filings, AG press conference, USCIS statement, Wichita Eagle profile, Kansas Reflector investigation, KMUW reporting

Summary

Voted for the Leopard. Got Eaten.

Jose "Joe" Ceballos, 54, is the Republican mayor of Coldwater, Kansas. He voted for Donald Trump three times and for Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach all four times Kobach ran for office. In November 2025, Kobach charged Ceballos with six felonies for voting as a non-citizen — votes that included votes for Kobach himself. DHS has indicated it may initiate deportation proceedings to Mexico, a country Ceballos hasn't seen since he was four years old.

Who Is Joe Ceballos?

  • Age: 54
  • Hometown: Coldwater, Kansas (population ~800, Comanche County)
  • Political affiliation: Registered Republican
  • Office held: City council (4 terms), mayor since 2021
  • Immigration status: Legal permanent resident (green card since 1990); never naturalized
  • Time in the US: 50+ years (arrived as a child, age ~4)
  • Criminal record: None

Ceballos is, by every measure, the kind of person small-town America celebrates. He's served on the Coldwater city council four times. In November 2025, he won re-election as mayor 121 votes to 20. More than 83% of Comanche County voted for Trump.

He believed he was a citizen. His green card says "PERMANENT RESIDENT" in all capital letters, and at age 20, he understood that to mean he could vote. A county clerk reportedly told him it was okay to register. He has voted in every local, state, and national election since 1991 — a span of 34 years.

What Happened

November 4, 2025 — Re-Elected as Mayor

Ceballos won re-election to the Coldwater mayor's seat, 121-20.

November 5, 2025 — Charged with Six Felonies

The next day, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach announced felony charges:

  • 3 counts of voting without being qualified (November 2022, November 2023, August 2024)
  • 3 counts of election perjury

If convicted: up to 68 months in prison and $200,000 in fines.

Kobach used the case to announce a broader initiative, saying the state would pursue "hundreds" more cases using the federal SAVE database to check voter citizenship status.

DHS Statement

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Ceballos was granted a green card in 1990 and applied for U.S. citizenship in February 2025. DHS stated: "If convicted, he will be placed in removal proceedings."

USCIS issued a separate press release titled "Kansas Mayor Faces Voter Fraud Charges Following USCIS Assistance" — effectively taking credit for the prosecution.

The Irony

In His Own Words

"I always loved Trump, this is unfair."

"I haven't seen Mexico since I was four. I don't speak Spanish anymore. If I get deported, it would wreck my life."

Ceballos voted for:

  • Donald Trump — at least 3 times (2016, 2020, 2024)
  • Kris Kobach — all 4 times Kobach ran for state office (Kobach is now prosecuting him)
  • Every Republican on the ballot — consistently, for 34 years

He supported the party that built the voter fraud narrative. He voted for the attorney general who made voter fraud prosecution his signature issue. He voted for the president who turned ICE into a mass deportation machine. And now all three are pointed at him.

Community Response

Coldwater Stands By Their Mayor

The town that voted 83% for Trump is not celebrating this prosecution.

Dennis Swayze, 80-year-old Comanche County rancher and Republican voter, Ceballos's mentor:

"If deportation happens, I can tell you that Kobach will have trouble showing up here, especially if he asks to stay with us for a while."

Friends and neighbors say:
- The county clerk told him it was okay to register in 1991
- He's been a pillar of the community for decades
- No one — including election officials — flagged his status for 34 years
- The prosecution feels like a political stunt

What This Case Proves

  1. The "voter fraud" narrative eats its own. Kobach has spent his career claiming mass voter fraud by non-citizens. His highest-profile case is a Republican mayor who voted for Kobach.

  2. The system created the problem it's prosecuting. A county clerk told a 20-year-old permanent resident he could vote. No one corrected it for 34 years. Now the state is charging him with felonies for doing what he was told was legal.

  3. Deportation is about power, not justice. Ceballos hasn't seen Mexico since he was four. He doesn't speak Spanish. He's the elected mayor of an American town. Deporting him serves no public safety purpose — it serves a political narrative.

  4. Loyalty doesn't protect you. Three votes for Trump. Four votes for Kobach. A lifetime of Republican activism. None of it matters when the machine needs a headline.

Current Status

  • Criminal case: Pending; next court date was December 3, 2025
  • Deportation: Threatened by DHS if convicted
  • Citizenship application: Filed February 2025 (before charges)
  • Mayoral office: Still serving as of last reporting

Sources

  1. Kansas Attorney General's Office — Press release: Voter fraud charges
  2. USCIS — Kansas Mayor Faces Voter Fraud Charges Following USCIS Assistance
  3. Kansas Reflector — "A Kansas town chose cruelty. Now it mourns"
  4. Kansas Reflector — "Small-town Kansas mayor charged with alleged voter fraud"
  5. KMUW — "Coldwater mayor: Honest mistakes led to voter fraud charges"
  6. Newsweek — "Republican Mayor Faces Deportation Over Voter Fraud Charges"
  7. NewsNation — "Kansas mayor faces deportation over voter fraud charges"
  8. WTF Detective — "Republican Mayor Can't Believe He's Facing Deportation"

Dossier opened 2026-02-12 — Mortui Vivos Docent Intelligence Project