A California state lawmaker’s office is demanding answers after one of her staff members was taken into federal immigration custody while traveling through Las Vegas.
Ho Yin Mo, a field representative for Democratic California Assemblywoman Catherine Stefani, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at Harry Reid International Airport on September 17, according to federal officials and Stefani’s office. He was later held at the Nevada Southern Detention Center in Pahrump.
The case has quickly become a political flashpoint in San Francisco, with Stefani demanding Mo’s release while federal authorities maintain that his employment by the California Legislature does not establish lawful immigration status.
The Department of Homeland Security said Mo, who is originally from Hong Kong, entered the United States legally on January 13, 2020, but was authorized to remain only temporarily. According to DHS, that authorization expired on May 15, 2020, and Mo did not depart the country as required.
