A new report from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provided documents to bolster the case against a city mayor from Kansas accused of committing voter fraud while residing in the U.S. as a green card immigrant.
Newsweek reached out to the Coldwater mayor’s office via email on Friday evening outside normal business hours for comment.
Why It Matters
Voter fraud has remained an issue of significant focus after President Donald Trump and his allies claimed widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election, alleging that such issues were the cause of his defeat. However, dozens of cases brought against various states and entities to prove that such fraud had occurred resulted in virtually no convictions, with a group of eight prominent Republican judges and lawyers issuing a report in 2022 to say that the “unequivocal” conclusion they reached was that the election lost by Trump to former President Joe Biden was not “stolen.”
What To Know
DHS on Thursday showed documents related to the charges brought against Jose “Joe” Ceballos-Armendariz, 54, who won reelection as mayor of Coldwater this month.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach on November 5 announced he had filed charges against Ceballos, with three counts of voting without being qualified and three counts of election perjury.
Ceballos is a citizen of Mexico who has been living in the United States for decades, first obtaining a green card in 1990, according to DHS. He had applied for U.S. citizenship in February.
However, during the intervening years, he attested on forms, which DHS posted along with its statement, that showed Ceballos asserting that he is a U.S. citizen. When he submitted his application for citizenship, he said that he has never claimed to be a U.S. citizen, but also admitted to registering to vote or having voted in elections in the U.S. DHS also noted that Ceballos was convicted of battery in 1995.
Kansas news outlet KAKE reported this week that the city of Coldwater had called a special meeting after Ceballos’ reelection to discuss the charges, with a decision on further steps still pending.
During his time as attorney general, Kobach has pushed for proof-of-citizenship requirements to vote in elections, but the law was struck down in 2018.
What People Are Saying
Coldwater City Council President Britt Lenertz, to KAKE: “At this time, our focus remains on ensuring that city operations continue to run smoothly and that the needs of our community are met. While the recent allegations involving the mayor are understandably concerning, we will allow the proper legal process to take its course before making any further comments. It’s important that we respect both due process and the integrity of our local government.”
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, in a statement Thursday: “This alien committed a felony by voting in American elections. If convicted, he will be placed in removal proceedings. President Trump and [Homeland Security] Secretary [Kristi] Noem gave states access to the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to ensure only Americans vote in American elections. The SAVE program is a critical tool for state and local governments to safeguard the integrity of elections across the country. Our elections belong to American citizens, not foreign citizens.”
Kobach, in a statement earlier this month: “In Kansas, it is against the law to vote if you are not a U.S. citizen. We allege that Mr. Ceballos did it multiple times,” adding, “Voting by noncitizens, including both legal and illegal aliens, is a very real problem. It happens. Every time a noncitizen votes, it effectively cancels out a U.S. citizen’s vote.”
What’s Next
Lenertz told the Kansas Reflector that the Coldwater City Council is seeking guidance on the matter and is uncertain about potential consequences if Ceballos is deemed ineligible to maintain his mayoral seat. Amid the tumult, she added, council members are committed to keeping city operations efficient, according to the news outlet.
