Joe Ceballos, a former mayor of Coldwater, Kansas, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for voting illegally as a green card holder and holding political office.
Ceballos pleaded guilty last month to three misdemeanor counts of disorderly election conduct and avoided jail time. He had twice been elected mayor but claims he did not know that noncitizens are ineligible to vote or hold office in U.S. elections.
ICE detained Ceballos on Wednesday in Wichita, with federal officials stating they will seek his deportation if convicted. His lawyer said the case is expected to move forward with deportation proceedings, though Ceballos plans to fight removal in immigration court.
A Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman added: “This alien has now been convicted… our elections belong to American citizens, not foreign citizens.”
