The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) touted a “critical tool” to prevent election fraud Wednesday after a Mexican national was convicted on charges related to his illegal participation in a US election.
Jose Ceballos-Armendariz, the former mayor of a small town in Kansas, pleaded guilty to three counts of disorderly election conduct earlier this week after being accused last November of unlawfully voting multiple times and falsely claiming US citizenship on voter registration forms.
Ceballos-Armendariz has been a green card holder since 1990, according to DHS.
Officials said Ceballos-Armendariz unlawfully voted multiple times. DHS“This alien has now been convicted of illegally voting in American elections, voting in American elections,” DHS acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement to Fox News.
“The SAVE program is a critical tool for state and local governments to safeguard the integrity of elections across the country,” she added.
The Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program allows government agencies to verify a person’s immigration status by querying various federal databases.
The Trump administration expanded the use of SAVE last May, allowing state election officials to use the program to determine an individual’s eligibility to vote.
“I’m grateful that President Trump implemented the SAVE program to help states and to prevent situations like this,” Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab said after charges against Ceballos-Armendariz were filed last November.
Ceballos-Armendariz, who was re-elected mayor of Coldwater, Kan., in the election he unlawfully participated in, resigned after charges were brought.
He initially faced a slew of felonies, including election perjury and voting without being qualified.
DHS had also threatened to place Ceballos-Armendariz in removal proceedings if convicted.
Under federal immigration law, falsely claiming US citizenship – as Ceballos-Armendariz appears to have done on a voter registration form – can make a noncitizen removable.
Ceballos-Armendariz later applied for US citizenship in February 2025. DHSHowever, DHS has not detailed any potential action in light of the lesser charges.
The misdemeanors should not impact Ceballos-Armendariz’s immigration or citizenship dealings, his attorney told local outlet KAKE.
Rather than fearing removal, Ceballos-Armendariz said he was hopeful he may eventually be granted US citizenship and become mayor again.
Voters cast their ballots at Heritage Hall on November 8, 2022 in Topeka, Kansas. Getty Images“With everything that happened today, I’m hoping that the government and immigration will see that I’m not a bad guy, I have a lot of supporters, and that maybe, someday, I can become a US citizen and therefore I can maybe re-run for office,” he told KAKE.
As part of his plea deal, Ceballos-Armendariz will pay $2,000 in fines and agreed to a six-month suspended sentence.
He won’t serve any jail time if he abides by the terms of his probation.
