San Francisco assemblymember's aide detained by ICE, faces deportation to HK

A Democratic staffer for a California assemblymember is in ICE custody and facing deportation to Hong Kong, officials said.

Ho-Yin Mo, a field representative for Assemblymember Catherine Stefani, who represents California's 19th District in San Francisco, was detained by federal immigration authorities on September 17 during an enforcement operation at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, according to The San Francisco Standard.

Stefani's office said in a statement that it is calling for Mo's release as soon as possible, describing him as "a selfless public servant and a valued, legal employee of the California State Legislature."

Mo is a former news reporter at KTSF, a Chinese-language television station in the Bay Area. According to his LinkedIn, he graduated from UC Berkeley in 2020 and worked as an AAPI field organiser for former San Francisco Mayor London Breed in 2024. He has worked for Stefani since January 2025.

It remains unclear why Mo was detained. The Department of Homeland Security has been contacted for comment.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓