The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Nov. 13 that the recently reelected mayor of Coldwater, Kansas, illegally voted in several U.S. elections.

Jose “Joe” Ceballos-Armendariz, 54, a Mexican national, entered the country on a green card in 1990, claimed to be a citizen on voter registration forms, and voted in elections for which he was ineligible, the DHS said.

Officials from Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach’s office filed election fraud charges against him in Comanche County last week. He is charged with three counts of voting without being qualified and three counts of election perjury.

“In Kansas, it is against the law to vote if you are not a U.S. citizen,” Kobach said in a Nov. 5 statement. “We allege that Mr. Ceballos did it multiple times.”

The charges are “nonperson felonies,” which are crimes that do not involve harm to another person. If convicted, he could spend more than five years in prison and be fined up to $200,000. His first court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 3, according to Kobach.

Ceballos-Armendariz falsified information on his February 2025 naturalization application by denying having made prior claims of U.S. citizenship, the DHS said.

“This alien committed a felony by voting in American elections,” said Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary for border and immigration policy. “If convicted, he will be placed in removal proceedings. President Trump and Secretary Noem gave states access to the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to ensure only Americans vote in American elections.”

McLaughlin said SAVE, a program states can use to check immigration databases and verify citizenship, 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,” she said.

The Epoch Times was unable to reach Ceballos-Armendari’s attorneys for comment.

The DHS also published images of his voter forms that the department alleges were used for a false citizenship claim.

“This is not the first time Ceballos-Armendariz broke our nation’s laws,” the DHS said, adding that he was convicted of battery in 1995.

Federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in national elections. Penalties include fines, imprisonment, and deportation. Some localities permit noncitizen voting in local races.

Kansas law generally requires that candidates for elected city office be a qualified elector, or eligible to vote, and a resident of the city, according to the attorney general’s office.

Cities also have “home rule” power, which gives city officials the power to decide whether Ceballos is eligible to continue his role as mayor, Kobach’s office said.

“This situation is absolutely unacceptable and, sadly, no surprise given the years of lax voting security in the United States,” USCIS spokesman Matthew Tragesser said in a statement.

Coldwater is home to about 700 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Jill McLaughlin contributed to this report.