A Mexican nationwide who voted illegally in US elections and falsely claimed to be a citizen has been convicted and will face removing underneath federal immigration regulation.
The Division of Homeland Safety (DHS) confirmed to Fox Information Digital that Jose Ceballos-Armendariz, a lawful everlasting resident who has held a inexperienced card since 1990, pleaded responsible to a few counts of disorderly election conduct following prosecution by the Kansas Lawyer Common’s Workplace.
Officers stated Ceballos-Armendariz unlawfully voted a number of occasions and falsely claimed US citizenship on voter registration varieties, together with a 1999 utility wherein he affirmed he was a citizen of the US.
He later utilized for US citizenship in February 2025. DHS stated he falsely acknowledged on that utility that he had by no means claimed to be a US citizen.
Below federal immigration regulation, false claims to US citizenship could make a noncitizen detachable, although DHS has not detailed any potential motion on this case.
“This alien has now been convicted of illegally voting in American elections, voting in American elections,” DHS performing Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis stated. “The SAVE program is a essential device for state and native governments to safeguard the integrity of elections throughout the nation.”
Data supplied by DHS and reviewed by Fox Information Digital present Ceballos-Armendariz checked “sure” when requested if he was a US citizen on a Kansas voter registration type and signed to affirm the data was true.
On his naturalization utility, nonetheless, he marked “no” when requested whether or not he had ever claimed to be a US citizen regardless of his prior voter registration.
DHS stated Ceballos-Armendariz additionally has a previous legal conviction, having been discovered responsible of battery in 1995.
President Donald Trump has made election integrity a central focus of his administration, with officers pointing to enforcement actions like this case as a part of broader efforts to forestall noncitizens from taking part in US elections.
Current federal regulation — 18 U.S.C. § 611: “Voting by aliens” underneath the Unlawful Immigration Reform and Immigrant Duty Act (IIRIRA) of 1996 — prohibits noncitizens, together with lawful everlasting residents, from voting in elections for all federal workplaces.
“Nothing is extra basic than the integrity and safety of our elections,” Bis stated. “That’s why the Trump Administration has repeatedly referred to as on Congress to cross the SAVE America Act, commonsense laws that requires voters to current photograph ID and implements different essential measures to guard federal elections from fraud.
“Our elections belong to Americans, not overseas residents.”
Regardless of the IIRIRA, since April 2025, greater than 24,000 potential non-US residents have been recognized on voter rolls by way of the SAVE program and referred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for additional investigation, based on DHS.
Officers stated greater than 60 million voter verification queries have been processed throughout that point.
Federal officers say the system permits states to confirm citizenship standing and stop illegal voting, they usually proceed to induce broader adoption nationwide.
