A staffer working for California Democratic Assemblywoman Catherine Stefani was arrested by US immigration authorities at an airport in Las Vegas over an alleged visa overstay, the Department of Homeland Security said.Ho-Yin Mo, a former Chinese-language TV news anchor who works as a field representative in Stefani’s office, was taken into custody Thursday during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation at Harry Reid International Airport, the New York Post reported.DHS said Mo, a Hong Kong native, had lawfully entered the US in January 2020 but failed to leave the country after his temporary stay expired in May that year.“Work authorization or a pending application do NOT confer legal status in the United States,” DHS said, according to the Post.Mo has worked for Stefani since January 2025, according to his LinkedIn profile. He previously worked as a news anchor and reporter for KTSF Channel 26, a Chinese-language television station based in San Francisco.He was also part of former San Francisco mayor London Breed’s unsuccessful 2024 re-election campaign, working as an outreach organiser focused on Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.Stefani represents California’s 19th Assembly District, which includes parts of western San Francisco and northern San Mateo County. She has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.A source told the Daily Mail that Mo was being held at the Nevada Southern Detention Center in Pahrump, west of Las Vegas, following his arrest. He is expected to remain in custody while removal proceedings continue, the report said.Frankie Falzon, a district director for Stefani, told the Daily Mail that the office had been advised by legal counsel that it would not be in Mo’s interest to speak publicly at this stage.“We’re trying to work through as many channels as possible now,” Falzon said.
