ICE Nabs California Democrat Staffer: ‘No One is Above the Law’
A member of a California state lawmaker’s office staff now sits in federal custody after immigration agents determined he had been living in the country without legal status for years, according to officials.
Ho-Yin Mo, who worked for Democratic Assemblywoman Catherine Stefani, was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas last week.
Federal officials laid out a timeline showing Mo’s legal presence in the United States expired years before his arrest.
The Department of Homeland Security said Mo entered the country lawfully in January 2020 but was obligated to leave by May 15 of that year.
He did not leave. DHS said in a statement that Mo “illegally overstayed his welcome by failing to depart by May 15, 2020,” placing his unlawful presence at more than six years.
Long before landing a job in Stefani’s office, Mo had already carved out a visible role in San Francisco’s political and media landscape.
Originally from Hong Kong, he spent time as an outreach organizer for former Mayor London Breed, whose re-election bid failed despite running in one of the nation’s most reliably Democratic cities.
Mo’s résumé also includes a stint on television. He worked as an anchor for KTSF, a San Francisco station that broadcasts in Chinese.
Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, took to the social media platform X to weigh in.
“No one is above the law, not even the California legislature and its staff,” Essayli wrote.
Ho-Yin Mo, who worked for Democratic Assemblywoman Catherine Stefani, was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas last week.
Federal officials laid out a timeline showing Mo’s legal presence in the United States expired years before his arrest.
The Department of Homeland Security said Mo entered the country lawfully in January 2020 but was obligated to leave by May 15 of that year.
He did not leave. DHS said in a statement that Mo “illegally overstayed his welcome by failing to depart by May 15, 2020,” placing his unlawful presence at more than six years.
Long before landing a job in Stefani’s office, Mo had already carved out a visible role in San Francisco’s political and media landscape.
Originally from Hong Kong, he spent time as an outreach organizer for former Mayor London Breed, whose re-election bid failed despite running in one of the nation’s most reliably Democratic cities.
Mo’s résumé also includes a stint on television. He worked as an anchor for KTSF, a San Francisco station that broadcasts in Chinese.
Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, took to the social media platform X to weigh in.
“No one is above the law, not even the California legislature and its staff,” Essayli wrote.
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