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Federal authorities released Ho Yin Mo, a district employee for Assemblymember Catherine Stefani, D-San Francisco, from an immigration detention center in Nevada after around two weeks in custody, the lawmaker announced on Friday.
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Federal agents detained Mo on Sept. 17 as he was traveling through Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. A spokesperson for U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement told The Sacramento Bee at the time that Mo had entered the U.S. lawfully on a temporary basis, but had overstayed a visa in 2020. Stefani has contested that characterization, saying Mo was lawfully employed by the California Legislature.
A federal immigration judge granted Mo’s release on a bond on Sept. 30, according to Stefani. He was released from an immigration detention in Nevada center two days later on Oct. 2. ICE had been holding Mo at the Nevada Southern Detention Center in Pahrump, a desert town in the state’s southernmost tip.
“Mo’s release confirms what we knew all along: He is a lawful public servant and a cherished part of our Bay Area family, and he should never have been detained. I am profoundly grateful to every person who fought to bring Mo home, and to everyone preparing to fight alongside him as he continues through the immigration process,” Stefani said in a statement.
Mo, who is from Hong Kong, studied at the University of California, Berkeley and was a TV reporter for a Chinese-language television station in San Francisco before joining Stefani’s team in 2025. His biography online seems to contradict ICE’s depiction that he entered the country in January 2020 and had overstayed a visa by that May.
Other Northern California elected officials, including San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin, whose district includes South San Francisco and Daly City, also issued statements in support of Mo.
Lurie sent a letter to the judge overseeing Mo’s case, seeking his release.
“Ho Yin has lived in San Francisco for years and has developed a strong network here,” Lurie wrote to the judge, according to a copy of the message published by the news outlet Mission Local. “He is a contributing member of society and I do not believe he poses as a danger or a threat to anyone.”
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ICE officials have not indicated when they believe Mo first entered the United States or through what legal process. During President Donald Trump’s second presidency, the federal government has sought to deport people who previous administrations gave work permits to while they pursued legal citizenship. ICE has also detained growing numbers of people who have not been convicted or charged with any crimes outside allegations they do not have lawful residency.
“Work authorization or a pending application do NOT confer legal status in the United States,” an ICE spokesperson said in a statement after his arrest. On Monday, agency officials sent The Sacramento Bee a largely identical statement in response to a request for comment on his release. The statement said Mo was out on bond “pending his removal proceedings” and repeated the government’s claim that he was in the country illegally.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, if you break the law, you will face the consequences,” the statement said. “Illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.”
Supporters of Mo established a GoFundMe to help raise money for his legal defense. Now fighting his own deportation, Mo helped connect Stefani with the Chinese American constituency that makes up a large part of her district, and got into the nitty-gritty with constituent services, according to his colleagues.
“In San Francisco, Mo’s work is personal,” the description on the GoFundMe, published by Stefani’s District Director, said. “When a constituent has trouble getting disability benefits or needs help with a state agency, he listens, makes the calls, and follows through. When Chinese-speaking residents gather to meet their assemblymember, he stands beside her and interprets so they can hear from her and tell her what they need.”
The GoFundMe also asks donations be limited to $630 in the year and that registered lobbyists do not donate, in order to comply with California’s rules around gifts to public employees.
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