Assemblymember Catherine Stefani is calling for the release of staffer Ho Yin Mo, a former reporter for San Francisco Chinese-language TV station KTSF who was detained by ICE in Las Vegas last Thursday.Ho Yin Mo, a field representative for California Assemblymember Catherine Stefani, D-San Francisco , was taken into custody by ICE agents Thursday while traveling through Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, as the Chronicle reports. He remains detained at an immigration detention center in Pahrump, Nevada, according to detention records.The Department of Homeland Security said Mo was arrested during what it described as a “targeted enforcement operation.” According to a DHS spokesperson, Mo, who is from Hong Kong, entered the US legally on a temporary basis in 2020 but did not leave when that period expired. The agency has not publicly provided additional details about Mo’s immigration case.Stefani, however, said Mo is legally employed by the California Legislature and is authorized to work in the United States, per the Chronicle. She is calling for his release.“My message today is simple: I am respectfully calling for Ho Yin Mo’s release as soon as possible,” Stefani said in a statement. “Ho Yin is a selfless public servant and a valued, legal employee of the California State Legislature serving our San Francisco and Bay Area communities.”Mo was previously a news reporter at KTSF, also known as Channel 26. He left the station in 2024 to work on Breed’s reelection and the “Yes on B” campaigns, then joined Stefani’s staff in 2025, according to his LinkedIn profile.Stefani told the Chronicle Mo’s background has been particularly valuable when the two meet with Chinese-American constituents in her district.“When Ho Yin and I meet our Chinese-American constituents, he brings a unique sense of belonging to so many who watched him as a TV reporter,” Stefani said, speaking to the Chronicle. “And his work goes far beyond presence. Ho Yin helps people access affordable health care coverage, child care, and food support. Our whole community eagerly awaits Ho Yin’s return to his home and his job where he is loved and adored.”Joe Arellano, a political strategist who worked with Mo on Breed’s campaign, said friends know him as “Mo” and described him as “a man of high character” and a familiar figure in San Francisco’s Chinatown and on the city’s west side.“All of us are pulling for his safe release,” Arellano told the Chronicle.Mo’s detention comes as immigration arrests at airports have increased under the Trump administration, with people detained over visa overstays, even when they have pending asylum applications, federal work permits, and no criminal history. During the first half of 2026, 25 people were held at SFO for more than 72 hours in violation of Customs and Border Patrol’s policy.Iryna Gorb, a 38-year-old Ukrainian woman whose arrest by plainclothes ICE agents at SFO was captured in a viral video in July, was released from a detention center last week after seven weeks in custody.Related: Ukrainian Woman Forcibly Arrested By ICE at SFO Released After Seven Weeks In Detention ...read more read less