Aide to San Francisco Lawmaker Fights for Release From Immigration Detention
Supporters of the Hong Kong-born aide to a San Francisco state assemblymember are fighting for his release from immigration detention in the Nevada desert a week after he was arrested by federal immigration agents at the Las Vegas airport.
Ho-Yin Mo, a field representative for Assemblymember Catherine Stefani, is represented by a Las Vegas immigration attorney who’s working to secure his release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Nevada Southern Detention Center in Pahrump, said University of San Francisco Law Professor Bill Ong Hing.
He said the lawyer is asking an immigration judge to order Mo’s release on bond and, failing that, would challenge the lawfulness of his detention in federal court.
A hearing is scheduled for next week, according to Joe Arellano, a political strategist and former colleague of Mo’s, though it’s unclear in what court.
Immigration court records do not show an open deportation case against Mo.
At the time of his arrest last Thursday, Mo was passing through the Harry Reid International Airport on his way to Louisville, Kentucky, to visit the Muhammad Ali Museum, Arellano said, adding that Mo admired the late boxer, who was an advocate for social justice.
“He always talked about the importance of democracy, as someone who came from Hong Kong and had experienced a lot of the turmoil,” Arellano went on.
“These were ideals that he held very close to his heart.”
Stefani has called for Mo’s immediate release from ICE detention and called him “a valued, legal employee” and a “selfless public servant,” but her staff declined to speak further about his case.
In a statement, the California State Assembly’s Rules Committee said it “can confirm that Ho Yin Mo is a current employee of the California State Assembly.
The Assembly complies with all applicable federal employment verification requirements.”
The Department of Homeland Security did not dispute that Mo has a valid work authorization. A DHS spokesperson, who did not identify themself, said in an email to KQED that Mo was arrested Sept. 17 in “a targeted enforcement operation” at the airport. The spokesperson said that on Jan. 13, 2020, “Mo lawfully entered the U.S. on a temporary basis but illegally overstayed his welcome by failing to depart by May 15, 2020.”
A work authorization document is typically only available to a person who is lawfully present in the U.S. or applying for legal permanent residence or some form of immigration protection, such as asylum.
Until recently, ICE did not generally arrest people with expired visas if they had a pending application for another type of immigration relief. But in recent months, ICE has been obtaining information about airport travelers from the Transportation Security Administration and arresting people in domestic terminals if they appear to have overstayed a visa.
“Unfortunately, he’s an example of what’s happening all over,” Hing said. “These are folks that are following rules and all of a sudden they find themselves in detention…. ICE is really trying to achieve high numbers of arrests and detentions. So they’re going after people who the system tells them have overstayed visas.”
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, meanwhile, has sent a letter to the Las Vegas Immigration Court saying Mo is a “positive addition to our city” and calling for his release from detention.
“Ho Yin has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for years and has developed a strong network here. He is a contributing member of society and I do not believe he poses a danger or threat to anyone,” he wrote. “I hope he will be given the opportunity to return to his home, his work, and his community.”
Arellano met Mo when they worked together on former San Francisco Mayor London Breed’s re-election campaign in 2024, and said Mo was a hard worker who “always went above and beyond.”
Having been a reporter for Chinese language TV station KTSF, he said, Mo was able to easily connect with Chinese voters and constituents.
“He was just beloved…. He was immediately recognized for his role on television as an anchor and that carried over into the work that he did,” Arellano said. “We hope that sanity will prevail and that he will be able to be released and come home soon.”
KQED reporter Brian Krans contributed reporting.