T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on and i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R . 36- 3.

T he pa ne l una ni m ous l yc onc l ude s thi s c a s e i s s ui t abl e f orde c i s i on ** w ith o u t o r a l a r g u m e n t. See F ed. R . A pp . P . 34 (a )( 2). NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T J AC OB O D E J E S US VE NT UR A, P et i t i on er , v. E R I C H . H O L D E R , J r ., A tto rn e yG e n e r a l, R e s p o n d e n t. N o. 09- 70141 A ge nc yN o. A 070- 510- 351 ME MOR AN DU M *

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the B o a r d o f I m m ig r a tio n A p p e a ls S ubm i tt e d J ul y13, 2011 ** S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: H U G , S K O P IL , an d B E E Z E R , C i rcu i tJu d g es. J a c obo D e J e s us V e ntur ape t i t i ons f orr e vi e w of

ade c i s i on by the B oa r d of I m m i gr a t i on A ppe a l s ( “ B I A ” ) a f f i rm i ng the de ni a l of

V e ntur a ’ s appl i c a t i ons f or as yl um , w i thh ol di ng of re m ov al , prot ec t i on un der the C on vent i on A gai nstT orture 

# FI LED NO V 23 2011 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

(“ C A T ”) and rel i ef

un der the N i cara gu an A dj ustm entand C entra l A m er i can R el i ef A ct(“N A C A R A ”) . W e have j uri sdi ct i on t o revi ew fi nal orders of re m ov al un der 8 U. S . C . § 1 2 5 2 , a n d we d e n y th e p e t i t i o n f o rr e v i e w. Th e f a c t s o f th i s c a s e a r e k n o w n t o th e p a rt i e s . W e d o n o tr e p e a tth e m. W e r evi ew the B IA ’ s f

ac tual fi nd i ng s f

or subst ant i al evi dence and i t s l egal c o n c lu s io n s d e n o v o . See B enyam i n v. H older , 5 7 9 F .3 d 9 7 0 , 9 7 4 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 9 ) . B e c aus e the B I A c onduc t e d i t s ow n r e vi e w of the s e c l a i m s , w e r e vi e w onl ythe B I A ’s d e c is io n , e x c e p t to th e e x te n t th e B I A e x p r e s s lya d o p te d th e I J ’s d e c is io n . See Cha w la v. H

older , 59 9 F . 3d 99 8, 10 01 (9th C i r. 20 10 ). T o q ual i fyfor a sy l um , V entura m ustshow thathe i s a“ re fugee. ” See 8 U . S . C . § 1158( a ) . A r e f uge e i s ape r s on w ho “ i s unabl e orunw i l l i ng t o r e turn t o” hi s orhe rhom e c ountry “ be c aus e of pe r s e c ut i on oraw e l l - f

ounde d f e a rof pers ec ut i on on ac coun tof ra ce , re l i gi on , nat i on al i ty, m em bers hi p i n a part i cul ar soci al grou p, or po l i t i ca l op i ni on . ” I d. § 1101( a ) ( 42) ( A ) . T o be e l i gi bl e f or w i thhol di ng of

r e m ova l , V e ntur am us tpr ove “ i ti s m or e l i ke l ytha n nottha the w o u ld b e s u b

je c t to p e r s e c u tio n ” o n o n e o f th e s e g r o u n d s . Se e Al- H a r b iv . I NS , 2 4 2 F .3 d 8 8 2 , 8 8 8 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 1 ) ( in te rn a l q u o ta tio n m a rk s o m itte d ) . T he B IA prop er l y deni ed V entura’ s a sy l um and w i thh ol di ng of re m ov al c l a i m s be c aus e V e ntur af a i l e d t o e s t abl i s h ane xus be tw e e n hi s f e a rof pe r s e c ut i on3

a n d o n e o f

th e p r o te c te d g r o u n d s lis te d in 8 U .S .C . § 1 1 0 1 ( a ) ( 4 2 ) ( A ) . T h e o n ly i nc i de ntof

pa s tpe r s e c ut i on i s V e ntur a ’ s e nc ount e rw i th hi s ne i ghbor , but V entura’ s t es t i m on y i nd i ca t es thatthese threa t s arose ou tof a per sonal confl i ct betw ee n V entura’ s f

ather and nei gh bo r, no ton ac coun tof V entura’ s pol i t i ca l opi ni ons oror ga ni z a t i ona l m e m be r s hi p. “ ‘ [ P ] e r s ona l r e tr i but i on i s , of c our s e , not p e r s e c u tio n o n a c c o u n t o f ” ’ ap r o te c te d b a s is . Se e Mo l i n a -Mo r a le s v . I NS , 237 F . 3d 10 48 , 10 52 (9th C i r. 20 01 ) ( i nt ernal qu ot at i on m arks om i tt ed). F urthe r , V e ntur a ’ s f

e a rof be i ng ki dnape d i s notas uf f i c i e ntba s i s f

ora s y l um o rw ith h o ld in g o f

r e m o v a l. “A s y lu m is n o t a v a ilab le to v ic tim s o f in d is c r im in a te vi ol ence , un l es s they are si ng l ed ou ton ac coun tof a prot ec t ed grou nd . ” D el ga do -O rt i

z v . H older , 60 0 F . 3d 11 48 , 11 51 (9th C i r. 20 10 ). V entura produ ce d no e vi de nc e tha the w oul d a c tua l l ybe t a r ge t e d f orki dnapi ng, a nd e ve n i f he ha d, i m m i gr a nt s r e turni ng t o the i rhom e c ountrya f t e rl i vi ng i n the U ni t e d S t a t e s do not c o m p r is e ac o g n iz ab le s o c ia l g r o u p . Se e i d. a t1151- 52 ( hol di ng tha t“ ‘ r e turni ng M e x ic a n s f

r o m th e U n ite d S ta te s ’” d id n o t q u a lif ya s as o c ia l g r o u p ) . T he B I A a l s o pr ope r l y de ni e d V e ntur a ’ s C A T c l a i m be c aus e V e ntur aha s not s how n a“ gr e a t e rtha n f

i f ty pe r c e nt[ c ha nc e ] tha the w i l l be t ortur e d i f r e m ove d t o” E l S a lv a d o r . Se e H

a m o u i v . A s h c r o

ft , 38 9 F . 3d 82 1, 82 7 (9th C i r. 20 04 ). V entura o f f e r e d n o e v id e n c e to s h o w th a t h is n e ig h b o rw o u ld p e r s is t in o ra c t o n th e th r e a ts4

tha the m a de m or e tha n tw e nty y e a r s a go. V e ntur a ’ s s pe c ul a t i on tha the m i ghtbe k id n ap e d d o e s n o t e s tab lis h alik e lih o o d o f to rtu r e . Se e D e lg a do - O r tiz , 60 0 F . 3d at 1 1 5 2 ( c o n c lu d in g th a t “g e n e r a liz e d e v id e n c e o f v io le n c e a n d c r im e in M e x ic o ” d id no tw arrantC A T re l i ef

). F i na l l y , r e ga r di ng V e ntur a ’ s N A C A R A c l a i m , a nypos s i bl e e xhaus t i on pr obl e m w a s c ur e d by the B I A ’ s de c i s i on t o r e vi e w a nd r e s ol ve thi s i s s ue on the m e r its . See A bebe v. G on zales , 43 2 F . 3d 10 37 , 10 41 (9th C i r. 20 05 ) ( en banc) ( h o ld in g th a t “[ w ]h e n th e B I A h a s ig n o r e d ap r o c e d u r a l d e f e c t a n d e le c te d to c ons i de ra n i s s ue on i t s s ubs t a nt i ve m e r i t s , w e c a nnotthe n de c l i ne t o c ons i de rthe i ss ue base d u po n thi s proce du ra l defe ct ”) . W e r et ai n j uri sdi ct i on ov er

“ c o n s t i tu t i o n a l c l a i ms o rq u e s t i o n s o f l a w ” r e g a r d i n g aN A CA RA c l a i m. See B arri os v. H

older , 581 F . 3d 849, 857 ( 9th C i r . 2009) ( i nt e rna l quot a t i on m a rks o m itte d ) . W e a gree w i th the B IA thatV entura’ s N A C A R A cl ai m fa i l s. T he re cord i nd i ca t es V entura s t i pu l at ed before an IJ thathe i s notel i gi bl e f or N A C A R A re l i ef because he di d n ott i m el y f i l e hi s r equest . A no ther I J l at errul ed thatV entura w as no tel i gi bl e bec ause of tw o p ri or drug conv i ct i on s. T he B IA no t ed thatV entura

“ s uf f e r e d m ul t i pl e c onvi c t i ons , i nc l udi ng drug- r e l a t e d c onvi c t i ons ” a nd “ doe s not o th erw i se ad d ress o n ap p eal h i s el i g i b i l i ty fo r N A C A R A rel i ef. ” G i v en th ese5

c ir c u m s ta n c e s , w e a g r e e w ith th e B I A th a t V e n tu r a“h a s n o t s h o w n r e v e r s ib le e rr o r .”DI S MI S S E D.