Breaking: ICE Nabs Dem Staffer Who Is Former News Anchor in Airport Operation
Immigration and Customs Enforcement just hit home for a liberal Democratic politician in California state government.
ICE agents last week arrested a staffer for California Democratic Assemblywoman Catherine Stefani, charging the man, a Hong Kong native, with illegally overstaying his visa in the United States by more than six years, the U.K. Daily Mail reported Tuesday.
And the man in question was no stranger to leftist American politics — or the American news media.
News anchor turned California Democrat busted in ICE operation https://t.co/NHQCWfixVD pic.twitter.com/rsOXaBcQwE
— California Post (@californiapost) September 22, 2026
Before hiring on with Stefani, Hong Kong native Ho-Yin Mo was an outreach organizer for former San Francisco Mayor London Breed, a Democrat so unpopular she lost a re-election bid in that staunchly Democratic city, according to the Daily Mail.
Mo was also a former anchor for KTSF, a Chinese-language station in San Francisco, the Daily Mail reported.
He’d entered the U.S. legally in January 2020, according to the newspaper, but should have departed that same year, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper reported that the Department of Homeland Security had confirmed Mo’s arrest, which took place at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.
Mo had “illegally overstayed his welcome by failing to depart by May 15, 2020,” DHS said in a statement, according to the Daily Mail.
Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, published a post on the social media platform X calling the arrest an example of even-handed enforcement.
“No one is above the law, not even the California legislature and its staff,” he wrote.
No one is above the law, not even the California legislature and its staff. https://t.co/JFQEvuAlKk
— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) September 22, 2026
Before her election to the state legislature, Stefani was a member of the San Francisco board of supervisors, and was part of that body in 2019 when it voted to declare the National Rifle Association a “domestic terrorist organization.” Stefani wrote the resolution.
“The NRA exists to spread disinformation and knowingly puts weapons in the hands of those who would harm and terrorize us,” she told the San Francisco Chronicle at the time.
According to the San Francisco Standard, an online news outlet founded in 2021, Stefani has released a statement demanding her staffer’s release before he’s deported back to Hong Kong.
“My message today is simple: I am respectfully calling for Ho Yin Mo’s release as soon as possible,” the statement said, according to the Standard. “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.
While the circumstances surrounding Mo’s arrest were unclear Tuesday, an ICE statement reported by the Standard implied that Mo was involved in air travel within the United States, rather than flying out or returning from abroad.
“Work authorization or a pending application do NOT confer legal status in the United States,” the statement said, according to the news outlet.
“DHS reversed the horrendous Biden-era policy that allowed aliens in our country illegally to jet around our country. Under President Trump, DHS will no longer tolerate this.”
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
