NEWS & ALERTS
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07 Nov2025
TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach announced Nov. 5 his office filed election fraud charges against Mexican national Jose Ceballos, the recently reelected mayor of Coldwater, Kansas. Kansas officials say U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program can prevent crimes such as this.
The Kansas attorney general’s office filed state charges in Comanche County. Ceballos faces three counts of voting without being qualified and three counts of election perjury. The charges are nonperson felonies, and Ceballos could face more than five years in prison.
"This situation is absolutely unacceptable and, sadly, no surprise given the years of lax voting security in the United States,” said USCIS spokesman Matthew Tragesser. “From day one, the Trump administration has made strengthening the SAVE program a top priority so states can verify that only U.S. citizens are on the voter rolls. USCIS is coordinating with our law enforcement partners on this case. This is just the beginning—SAVE is exposing bad actors and safeguarding the integrity of our elections like never before.”
“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 said. “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.”
“I’ve worked with Attorney General Kobach for years on proof of citizenship as a useful tool to root out election crimes. During my time as House Elections chair, then-Secretary Kobach and I fought to pass a proof-of-citizenship requirement. Instead, we’re left relying on individuals’ word when it comes to verifying citizenship,” Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab said. “I’m grateful that President Trump implemented the SAVE program to help states and to prevent situations like this.”
USCIS continues to enhance the SAVE program to enable states to verify that only U.S. citizens are voting in federal elections.
Currently, only 26 states already have, or are in the process of establishing, a memorandum of agreement for voter verification with SAVE. Government officials at all levels in all states should be committed to eliminating voter fraud and restoring faith in America’s elections. More information is available on SAVE’s Voter Registration and Voter List Maintenance Fact Sheet.
Protecting the integrity of the immigration process is a priority for USCIS. To report suspected immigration benefit fraud or abuse to USCIS, please use the USCIS Tip Form.
If you need more information or have any questions call 407-226-3659 to schedule a free consultation at our Orlando or Tampa office.
