Former Mayor Arrested for Voting

May 14, 2026, 20:51
USPolitics

Introduction

Jose Ceballos was the mayor of Coldwater, Kansas. ICE arrested him on Wednesday. He said he voted, but he is not a U.S. citizen.

Main Body

Mr. Ceballos was born in Mexico. He lived in the U.S. legally. He told the court he voted in elections. This is against the law for non-citizens. He left his job as mayor in December. His lawyers say he made a mistake. They say he thought he could vote. He also applied for citizenship in February. The government says he lied on that application. The U.S. government wants to stop non-citizens from voting. They use a program called the SAVE Act. This program finds people who are not citizens but try to vote. They found 24,000 people like this since April 2025.

Conclusion

Mr. Ceballos is in jail in Chase County. His lawyers are asking a judge to let him go home.

Learning

🕒 Past vs. Now

In this story, we see words that tell us something already happened. This is the key to moving from A1 to A2.

The 'Past' Pattern Look at how the words change from the present to the past:

  • is →\rightarrow was (He is the mayor →\rightarrow He was the mayor)
  • say →\rightarrow said (They say →\rightarrow He said)
  • live →\rightarrow lived (I live here →\rightarrow He lived here)
  • apply →\rightarrow applied (I apply →\rightarrow He applied)

💡 Quick Tip: Most words just need -ed at the end to go into the past (like lived or applied). But some 'rebel' words change completely (like is becoming was).

Useful Word Pairs from the Text:

  • Legal (Follows the law) ↔\leftrightarrow Against the law (Breaks the law)
  • Citizen (Member of a country) ↔\leftrightarrow Non-citizen (Not a member)

Vocabulary Learning

mayor (n.)
the elected head of a city or town
Example:The mayor of Coldwater is Jose Ceballos.
arrested (v.)
taken into custody by police
Example:The police arrested him on Wednesday.
voting (n.)
the act of casting a ballot
Example:He said he was involved in voting.
citizen (n.)
a person who belongs to a country
Example:He is not a U.S. citizen.
law (n.)
a rule made by a government
Example:This is against the law.
job (n.)
work that you do for money
Example:He left his job as mayor.
mistake (n.)
an error or wrong action
Example:His lawyers say he made a mistake.
thought (n.)
an idea or opinion
Example:He thought he could vote.
apply (v.)
to make a request or try to obtain
Example:He applied for citizenship.
government (n.)
the people who run a country
Example:The U.S. government wants to stop non-citizens from voting.
program (n.)
a planned activity or system
Example:The program is called the SAVE Act.
jail (n.)
a place where people are kept after being arrested
Example:He is in jail in Chase County.
court (n.)
a place where legal cases are heard
Example:He told the court he voted.
judge (n.)
a person who decides legal cases
Example:They ask a judge to let him go home.
home (n.)
the place where you live
Example:Let him go home.