COLDWATER, Kansas — Former mayor of the town of Coldwater, Joe Ceballos, pleaded guilty Monday to three misdemeanor charges for voting without being a U.S. citizen.
The twice-elected mayor of the small southern Kansas town made his way to national headlines after being charged with voter fraud, filed by state Attorney General Kris Kobach.
Ceballos immigrated from Mexico when he was four years old back in 1975. He has his green card and is a permanent legal resident but not a citizen.
Ceballos admits he has been voting in elections, calling it an honest mistake, thinking he was allowed to vote as a permanent resident.
His attorney, Jess Hoeme, said this plea deal agreement was fair after Kobach amended the charges from felony to misdemeanor due to a lack of intent.
“After reviewing the case and everything about the case, the attorney general’s office offered to amend the complaint to a Class B misdemeanor,” Hoeme said.
The plea deal recommended a sentence of one year probation with a six-month jail sentence that is suspended. Ceballos also agreed to pay a $2,000 fine plus court fees.
Tricia Mclaughlin, who was the assistant secretary for public affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, previously said if convicted of felony charges the agency would start the deportation process for Ceballos.
Hoeme said it’s unclear what the State Department will do, but he said these charges should not affect Ceballos’ residency status or lead to deportation.
“It's my hope that immigration officials, like Attorney General Kobach, will take a look at the man who is Joe Ceballos and realize that removal proceedings would be fundamentally unfair,” Hoeme said.
Hoeme said many locals in Coldwater attended court in support of Ceballos. To them he is a well-liked cattle rancher.
Kobach said in a statement back in November when announcing the charges that “voting by noncitizens, including both legal and illegal aliens, is a very real problem.”
Ceballos said last year he is “pretty sure” he voted for Kobach and Trump because he always voted Republican like his friends did.
Hoeme said he feels Ceballos’ case can have ripple effects across the country.
“It shows those who support some immigration policies and all Americans still expect our agencies like immigration to be reasonable and to follow the rules,” Hoeme said.
Calen Moore covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can email him at cmoore@hppr.org.
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