Category: Fox News
Noncitizen Kansas mayor accused of illegally voting ‘multiple times’ after winning re-election
The mayor of a Kansas town who won re-election on Tuesday has been accused of election fraud for allegedly voting despite being a noncitizen.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach (R) announced the charges against Jose “Joe” Ceballos, the mayor of Coldwater, on Wednesday. The 54-year-old is a permanent resident of the U.S. but not a citizen, according to Kobach, and is a citizen of Mexico.
‘In large part, our system right now is based on trust. … In this case, we allege that Mr. Ceballos violated that trust.’
“Joe Ceballos, who garnered nearly 83% of the vote Tuesday for a second term as Coldwater mayor, was charged with three counts of voting without being qualified and three counts of election perjury,” Kobach said. “Both are felony offenses.”
“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,” Kobach added.
If found guilty, Ceballos could face nearly five years in prison and a $200,000 fine.
“In large part, our system right now is based on trust,” Kobach said. “Trust that when the person signed the registration or signs the pollbooks saying that he’s a qualified elector or that he is a United States citizen, that the person is telling the truth. In this case, we allege that Mr. Ceballos violated that trust.”
The president of the Coldwater City Council released a statement before Kobach’s press conference on Facebook.
“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,” Britt Lenertz said. “It’s important that we respect both due process and the integrity of our local government.”
Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab said during the press conference that new resources provided by President Donald Trump allowed the administration to check voters’ citizenship status.
“They could be a legal resident, but they’re not a citizen, and we want to make sure that gets clarified,” said Schwab said. “If they voted, then it’s a crime. And we have run that system; we’re currently verifying. We don’t want any false positives, but, Attorney General, be prepared to be busy.”
The city attorney for Coldwater said that Ceballos raised some red flags after seeking citizenship status in February.
“He’s been a registered voter since 1990. He applied for citizenship in February of this year and, through that, raised the issue of whether he was a legal citizen,” said Skip Herd.
Ceballos was first elected mayor in 2021 and ran unopposed for re-election in 2025. The city attorney will determine whether he will be eligible to continue as mayor.
“As a mayor, he’s done a wonderful job,” continued Lenertz. “As a city councilmember, he’s done a wonderful job. He’s always put our community first in everything he does.”
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Kazakhstan joining Abraham Accords, US official confirms
Kazakhstan set to join Abraham Accords in historic move, becoming fourth nation to formalize Israel normalization agreement alongside the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco.
Don Mattingly makes decision on baseball future after first World Series appearance ends in heartbreak: report
After finally making the World Series with the Toronto Blue Jays, Don Mattingly has reportedly decided not to return to the team next season.
Quinnen Williams admits frustration with Jets’ losing after trade to Cowboys: ‘World knew I was frustrated’
Quinnen Williams opened up about his frustration with the New York Jets’ losing culture after being traded to the Dallas Cowboys before the NFL deadline.
Mamdani slammed for jetting to ‘luxury resort’ for Puerto Rico conference during shutdown
Republican congressman Mike Lawler slams NYC mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani for attending an event at a luxury hotel in Puerto Rico days after election victory.
Top Democrat backs US intel on narco-trafficking strikes, faults Biden for ‘not going far enough’ on Maduro
Democrats defend U.S. intel behind strikes near Venezuela but say Biden missed a chance to rally allies against Maduro after the nation’s contested 2024 election.
GOP lawmaker warns of possible food, medicine shortages as flights grounded
Rep. Nicholas Begich warns Alaska’s rural villages face supply shortages as government shutdown reduces flight capacity at major cargo hub airports.
Fox News AI Newsletter: Kim Kardashian blames ChatGPT for test failures
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Massive street takeover disrupts town as 50-100 riders in ‘chaotic groups’ block city roads: police
Fall River police arrest 5 people after massive street takeover involving 50-100 riders on motorcycles, ATVs and dirt bikes disrupting traffic across the city.
Masked anti-ICE agitators are in for a rude awakening as new DHS policy goes into effect
Federal officers have been met with a range of resistance from protesters, most notably in blue sanctuary cities like Portland and Chicago. Now, however, the Department of Homeland Security has announced the implementation of new rules that should give officers an advantage as they continue to do their already dangerous jobs.
Early this week, the Department of Homeland Security updated its list of prohibited and restricted conduct on federal property, and those wearing face-coverings should take note.
Those rules will be enforced ‘on federal property or in areas outside federal property, that affects, threatens, or endangers federal property or persons on the federal property.’
“Wearing a mask, hood, disguise, or device that conceals the identity of the wearer when attempting to avoid detection or identification while violating any federal, state, or local law, ordinance, or regulation” is forbidden, the rules say.
Those rules will be enforced “on federal property or in areas outside federal property, that affects, threatens, or endangers federal property or persons on the federal property,” the rules state.
RELATED: ‘Unleashed’: Houston ICE agents complete another large-scale immigration raid
Photo by Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images
Investigative journalist Katie Daviscourt reported that this rule change is a “game changer” because it will give federal agents greater jurisdiction in making arrests at and near the federal facility in Portland, where local police previously had jurisdiction.
DHS officers at the Portland facility announced Wednesday that they had begun enforcing the new policy, Daviscourt said, though it was originally supposed to go into effect in January 2026.
Violation of the rules “can be a federal criminal offense punishable by incarceration up to 30 days and a $5,000.00 fine,” DHS noted.
The greater latitude granted by this rule change may allow federal officers to operate more efficiently as they work to deport illegal aliens from America.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
