ICE releases San Francisco assemblymember's aide on bond after 15 days in detention
An aide to a state assembly member from San Francisco has been released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 15 days after he was detained at a Las Vegas airport, her office said Friday.
Ho Yin Mo, a field representative in Assemblymember Catherine Stefani's San Francisco office, was granted bond by an immigration judge Wednesday and was released from ICE custody Friday, Stefani's office said in a press release.
Mo, a former TV news reporter originally from Hong Kong, was taken into custody by ICE on Sept. 17 at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas during a "targeted enforcement operation," ICE said at the time.
ICE said that Mo lawfully entered the U.S. in January 2020 on a temporary basis, but "illegally overstayed his welcome" by not leaving the country by May of that year.
PREVIOUS REPORT: San Francisco assemblymember's aide, former Bay Area news reporter detained by ICE, officials say
Mo has worked for the Democratic assemblymember since January 2025. He previously worked at KTSF, the largest Asian-language broadcast station in the U.S.
"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," Stefani said in the statement.
Stefani's office said Mo will probably continue to face the threat of deportation by the Trump Administration.
"I'm overwhelmed with gratitude for the tireless work of Assemblymember Stefani, my legal counsel and every individual who advocated on my behalf," Mo said in the statement. "I'm excited to return to my work serving San Franciscans, who have shown time and again what community truly means."
Mo assists Cantonese- and Mandarin-speaking people in Stefani's office and interprets at meetings with her. He helps constituents navigate state agencies and access disability benefits, affordable health care coverage, childcare and food support, the office said.
