FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEVEN T HC IRC U IT APRIL23, 2008 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H]

I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 07- 13504 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ B I A N o. A 77- 843- 348 J A M E S N I C O L E A U , P e titio n e r , v ersu s U .S . A T T O RN E Y G E N E R A L , R e s p o n d e n t.

________________________ P e t i t i on f orR e vi e w of

aD e c i s i on of

the B o a r d o f I m m ig r a tio n A p p e a ls

_________________________ ( A p r i l23, 2008) B efo re A N D E R S O N , B L A C K an d H U L L , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M:2

Jam es N i co l eau p et i t i o n s fo r rev i ew o f th e B o ard o f Im m i g rat i o n A p p eal s’ (B IA ’ s) deci si on di sm i ss i ng hi s app ea l fr om the Im m i grat i on Judg e’ s ( IJ ’ s) deni al of hi s appl i c a t i on f

ora dj us tm e ntof

s t a tus unde rthe H a i t i a n R e f uge e I m m i gr a t i on F a i rne s s A c t( H R I F A ) a nd de ni a l of hi s c l a i m s f

ora s y l um a nd w i thhol di ng of r e m ova l unde rthe I m m i gr a t i on a nd N a t i ona l i ty A c t( I N A ) a nd the U ni t e d N a t i ons C onve nt i on A ga i ns tT ortur e a nd O the rC rue l , I nhum a n, orD e gr a di ng T r e a tm e ntor P uni s hm e nt( C A T ) . N i c ol e au c ont e nds the doc um e nt a ry e vi de nc e a nd t e s t i m ony s u f f ic ie n tly p r o v e d h is p r e s e n c e in th e U n ite d S ta te s o n D e c e m b e r3 1 , 1 9 9 5 , to s u p p o rt a d

ju s tm e n t o f

h is s ta tu s u n d e rH R I F A . N ic o le au a ls o a s s e rts h e h a s aw e llf ounde d f e a rof f utur e pe r s e c ut i on due t o hi s s t a tus a s a n “ A m e r i c a ni z e d H a i t i a n” to s u p p o rt h is ap p lic a tio n s f o ra s y lu m , w ith h o ld in g o f r e m o v a l, a n d C A T r e lie f . I. W e de t e rm i ne ours ubj e c tm a tt e rj ur i s di c t i on de no vo . A lex is v . U ni ted State s A t t ’

y G e n. , 431 F . 3d 1291, 1293 ( 11th C i r . 2005) . A s age ne r a l m a tt e r , the H R I F A e num e r a t e s va r i ous c ondi t i ons unde rw hi c h a n a l i e n w ho i s ana t i ona l of H a iti m a y ap p ly to h a v e h is s ta tu s a d ju s te d to th a t o f

a n a lie n la w f

u lly a d m itte d to th is c o u n try f

o rp e rm a n e n t r e s id e n c e . I d. H ow ever , H R IF A prov i des “ [a ] d e te rm in a tio n b y th e A tto rn e y G e n e r a l a s to w h e th e rth e s ta tu s o f a n y a lie n s h o u ld be a dj us t e d unde rthi s s e c t i on i s f i na l a nd s ha l l notbe s ubj e c tt o r e vi e w by a ny c o u rt.” H R I F A , P u b . L . N o . 1 0 5 - 2 7 7 , 1 9 9 8 H .R . 4 3 2 8 § 9 0 2 ( f ) ; see a l so 8 C. F. R.3

§ 245. 15( v) . T hus , w e l a c k j ur i s di c t i on t o r e vi e w de ni a l of a dj us tm e ntof

s t a tus u n d e rH R I F A u n le s s as u b s ta n tia l c o n s titu tio n a l c h a lle n g e is p r e s e n te d . A lexis, 4 3 1 F .3 d a t 1 2 9 4 - 9 5 . N i col eau d oes notra i se any c on st i tut i on al ar gu m ent s on app ea l . T here fore , w e l ac k j uri sdi ct i on ov erthe B IA ’ s dec i si on w i th res pectt o d enyi ng N i col eau re l i ef un der H R IF A , and w e di sm i ss hi s pet i t i on w i th res pectt o thi s i ss ue. II. W hen con si deri ng a pet i t i on t o revi ew a f i nal order by the B IA , w e r evi ew l eg al i ssu es de nov o. Mo h a m m e d v . A s h c r o

ft , 26 1 F . 3d 12 44 , 12 47 -48 (11 th C i r. 20 01 ). H ow ever , w e r evi ew the B IA ' s f ac tual fi nd i ng s und erthe subst ant i al e v id e n c e te s t. A l N

a jja rv . A s h c r o

ft , 2 5 7 F .3 d 1 2 6 2 , 1 2 8 3 - 8 4 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 1 ) . U nd erthi s t es t , w e “ af

fi rm the B IA ’ s dec i si on i f i ti s ‘ supp ort ed by re as on abl e, subst ant i al , and p robat i ve evi dence on the re cord consi dere d as aw ho l e. ’ ” I d. at 1284 ( c i t a t i on om i tt e d) . “ T o r e ve r s e af a c tua l f i ndi ng by the B I A , [ w e ] m us tf i nd no ton l y thatthe evi dence s up po rt s acontraryconcl usi on , bu tthati tcom pel s one. ” Far quhars on v . U

. S. A t t ' y . G e n. , 2 4 6 F .3 d 1 3 1 7 , 1 3 2 0 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 1 ) . A n a l i e n w h o i s p r e s e n ti n th e U n i t e d St a t e s ma y ap p l y f o ra s y l u m. 8 U . S. C. § 1158( a ) ( 1) . T he A tt orne y G e ne r a l orS e c r e t a ry of D e pa rtm e ntof

H om e l a nd S ec uri ty have di sc re t i on t o g rantas yl um i f the al i en m ee t s the IN A ’ s def i ni t i on of a “r e f u g e e .” 8 U .S .C . § 1 1 5 8 ( b ) ( 1 ) . A “r e f u g e e ” is :4

a n y p e r s o n w h o i s o u t s i d e a n y c o u n try o f s u c h p e r s o n ’s n a tio n a lity . . . w h o is u n ab l e o r u n w i l l i n g t o retu rn t o , an d i s u n ab l e o r u n w i l lin g to a va i l hi m s e l f . . . of the pr ot e c t i on of , tha t c ountry be cau se of p e r s e c u tio n o raw e ll- f o u n d e d f e a ro f p e r s e c u tio n o n a c c o u n t o f . . . m e m b e r s h ip in ap a rtic u la rs o c ia l g r o u p . . . . 8 U . S . C . § 1 10 1(a) (42)(A ). T he al i en ca rr i es the bu rden of prov i ng st atut ory “r e f u g e e ” s ta tu s . A l

N aj j ar , 257 F . 3d a t1284. U nc orr obor a t e d, c r e di bl e t e s t i m ony f r om the appl i c a nti s s uf f i c i e ntt o s us t a i n a n appl i c a nt ’ s bur de n of pr oof f or a s y lu m . 8 C .F .R . § 2 0 8 .1 3 ( a ) . I n th is c a s e , N ic o le au d o e s n o t a r g u e h e is e lig ib le f ora s y l um ba s e d on pa s t - pe r s e c ut i on; i ns t e a d, he a r gue s e l i gi bi l i ty ba s e d on a w e ll- f o u n d e d f e a ro f f u tu r e p e r s e c u tio n . A w e ll- f o u n d e d f e a ro f f u tu r e p e r s e c u tio n m a y b e e s tab lis h e d b y s h o w in g : (1) are as on abl e possi bi l i ty of per sonal future pers ec ut i on thatcann otbe avoi ded by re l ocat i ng w i thi n the subj ec tcoun try ; or (2) apatt ern o r pra ct i ce i n the subj ec t c o u n try o f

p e r s e c u tin g m e m b e r s o f as ta tu to r ily d e f

in e d g r o u p o f

w h ic h th e a lie n is apa rt . 8 C . F . R . § 208. 13( b) ( 2) . “ [ E ] vi de nc e tha te i the ri s c ons i s t e ntw i th a c t s of pri vat e vi ol ence or the pet i t i on er ’ s f ai l ure t o coo pera t e w i th g ueri l l as , or that m e r e l y s how s tha tape r s on ha s be e n the vi c t i m of c r i m i na l a c t i vi ty , doe s not const i tut e e vi dence of pers ec ut i on base d o n a st atut ori l y prot ec t ed grou nd . ” R uiz v . U . S. A t t ’ y G e n. , 440 F . 3d 1247 1258 ( 11th C i r . 2006) . M or e ove r , w he n a pe t i t i one r ’ s f

a m i l y r e m a i ns i n the c ountry of or i gi na t i on w i thoutpe r s e c ut i on, the p e titio n e r ’s f

e a ro f f u tu r e p e r s e c u tio n m a y b e u n d e rm in e d . Se e i d. a t 1 2 5 9 .We do not need to address whether “America nized Haitians” constitute a pa rticular 1 social group bec ause there is no evidence that Nicoleau ha s a we ll-founded f ear of future perse cution on acc ount of his membership in that group. See8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(42) . 5 T he re cord do es no tcom pel a c on cl usi on thatN i col eau h ad a w el l -f ou nd ed f e a ro f f u tu r e p e r s e c u tio n d u e to h is s ta tu s a s a n “A m e r ic a n iz e d H a itia n .” F ir s t, 1 ac cordi ng t o the backgrou nd i nform at i on on H ai t i , vi ol ence and cri m e are pervas i ve i n H ai t i re gardl es s of s oci o-ec on om i c or “ A m er i cani ze d” st atus. F urther, N i col eau t es t i fi ed he feare d h e m aybe ki dn apped as partof w i despre ad l a w l e s s ne s s i n H a i t i be c aus e he m i ghtbe pe r c e i ve d t o be w e a l thy . F e a rof be i ng a vi ct i m of cr i m e i n an atm osph er e of genera l stri fe do es no tes t abl i sh fe arof harm d u e to as ta tu to r ily e n u m e r a te d g r o u n d . Se e R u iz , 44 0 F . 3d at12 58 . F urther, N i co l eau ’ s fam i l y’ s co n t i n u ed resi d en ce i n H ai t i w i th o u ti n ci d en tsu p p o rt s a f in d in g th a t a n o b

je c tiv e w e ll- f

o u n d e d f e a ro f p e r s e c u tio n d o e s n o t e x is t. Se e i d. at 1259. T he r e f

or e , N i c ol e au f

a i l e d t o e s t abl i s h aw e l l - f ounde d f e a rof pe r s e c ut i on on a c c ountof

hi s m e m be r s hi p i n apa rt i c ul ars oc i a l gr oup t o s upporthi s appl i c a t i on f o ra s y l u m. B ecau se N i co l eau d i d n o test ab l i sh h e w as q u al i fi ed fo r asyl u m , h e w as al so u n ab le to m e e t th e h ig h e rs ta n d a r d f o rw ith h o ld in g o f

r e m o v a l a n d C A T r e lie f . See A l N aj j ar , 2 5 7 F .3 d a t 1 2 9 2 - 9 3 , 1 3 0 3 - 0 4 . A c c o r d in g ly , w e d e n y h is p e titio n w ith resp ectt o th ese i ssu es. D I SM I SSED I N PA R T, D EN I ED I N PA R T