By admin 
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The former mayor of Coldwater, Kansas, turned himself in at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Wichita on Wednesday.
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“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Jose Ceballos said outside the facility. “I don’t know where they’re going to take me and what I can and can’t do inside there.”
Last month, Ceballos pleaded guilty to three counts of disorderly election conduct after voting in several elections. He said he thought his status as a green card holder with legal permanent residency gave him the right to vote in U.S. elections.
After pleading guilty, Ceballos was ordered to pay a $2,000 fine.
But Ceballos said he feels “misled,” because he thought this situation would be over after his plea. Still, he’s hopeful for a positive outcome.
“Obviously, we’ll go through the process,” Ceballos said. “We’ll do what they want us to do and, you know, take one day at a time. Just do what they ask is my goal.”
Attorney General Kris Kobach, whose office negotiated the plea with Ceballos, told Nexstar’s KSN last week that it was up to the federal government to decide if he will be deported.
Ceballos was brought to the U.S. from Mexico by family when he was 4 years old, Jess Hoeme, his criminal attorney, said. He added that Ceballos, at age 18, was encouraged to register to vote on the spot during a school field trip to the Comanche County courthouse.
Ceballos has previously said in interviews with reporters that he voted for Republicans.
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He was twice elected mayor of Coldwater, population 700, and also served on the city council. Ceballos won a new term in November but resigned after state Attorney General Kris Kobach charged him with voting without being qualified and election perjury.
“He has not been convicted of any kind of voter fraud. It should not have impacted his immigration status,” Hoeme said. “The Trump administration and ICE have doubled down on nonsense that he is a criminal.”
A crowd gathered outside the ICE office to protest Ceballos’ forced surrender on Wednesday.
“Let Joe go!” some of the demonstrators chanted. Another yelled, “We support you Joe,” to which Ceballos responded.
“Thank you,” he shouted back.
Ceballos’ criminal attorney Jess Hoeme said he was disappointed that the situation has reached this point.
“I thought our system was smarter and better than this,” Hoeme said. “I thought there was a degree of humanity and dignity included in the process. That doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.”