NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT

___________ N o. 09- 4464

___________ C A R L O S O R D O N E Z -M O R A L E S , Pet i t i oner v. A TTO RN EY G EN ER A L O F TH E U N I TED STA TES, R es pondent

____________________________________ O n Pet i t i on forR evi ew of an O r derof the B o a rdo f Im m ig ra tio n A p p e a ls ( A gencyN o. A 70- 808- 035) I m m i gr at i on Judge: H onor abl e M i r l ande Tadal

____________________________________ Subm i tt ed Pur s uantt o T hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

M ar ch 30, 2010 B efor e: B A R R Y , A M B R O and R O T H , C i r cui tJudges

( O pi ni on fi l ed: A pr i l 1, 2010 )

___________ OP INI ON

___________ P E R C UR I AM C ar l os O r donez- M or al es , a nat i ve and c i t i zen of G uat emal a, ent er ed the U ni t ed St at es i n O ct ober1992 w i thoutbei ng admi tt ed orpar ol ed. I n Jul y1993, he fi l ed an ap p lica tio n f

o r a sy lu m , cla im in g th a t h e h a db e e n p e rse c u ted b yg u e rillas in G u a tem a laW e agree w i th the R espon den tthat al l otheri ssues ar e w ai ved on app eal becau se 1 O r donez- M or al es di d notchal l enge the dec i s i ons r egar di ng w i thhol di ng orC A T r el i ef or th e o th e r iss u e s th a t O rd o n e z -M o ra les ra ise din h is a g e n c yap p e a l. S e e L ie v . A sh c ro f t, 2 aft erhe w as s el ect ed t o part i cipat e i n the A rm yR es erves . R . 156. H i s appl i cat i on re m a in e du n a d

ju d ica ted u n tila f

terth e G o v e rn m e n t ch a rg e dh im w ith re m o v ab ili tyin 2008. O r donez- M or al es conce ded the char ge and s oughtas y l um , w i thhol di ng, and pr ot ect i on underthe C onvent i on A gai ns tT ortur e ( “C A T ”) thr ough an amended as y l um ap p lica tio n . In h is a m e n d e dap p lica tio n , the b a sis f o r h is c laim s f

o r re lief w a s th a t a thr eatw as m ade a gai ns thi m aft erhe turned 18 and be gan l ooki ng fori nform at i on about w h yh is f

a th e r w a s k ille dw h e n h e w a s ac h ild . A ft era hear i ng, an I m m i gr at i on Judge deni ed O r donez- M or al es ’ s appl i cat i on. T he B oar d of I m m i gr at i on A ppeal s ( “B I A ”) di s m i s s ed hi s s ubs equentappea l . O r donezM o ra le s , re p re s e n tin g h im s e lf , p re s e n ts ap e titio n f

o r r e v ie w . W e h a v e j u r i s d i c t i o n o v e rOr d o n e z - M o r a l e s ’ s p e t i t i o n p u r s u a n tt o 8 U. S . C. § 1252( a) . W e cons i derques t i ons of l aw de novo, s ee G erbi erv. H ol m es , 280 F. 3d 297, 302 & n. 2 ( 3d C i r . 2002) , and w e r evi ew fac tualfi ndi ngs fors ubs t ant i alevi dence , s e e B u tt v . G o n z a le s , 4 2 9 F .3 d4 3 0 , 4 3 3 (3 dC ir . 2 0 0 5 ). U p o n rev iew , w e w il l den ythe p eti ti o n fo r rev iew . D esp it e O rdo n ez -M o rales’s a rg u m e n ts to th e c o n tra ry , the B IA d idn o t err in c o n c lu d in g th a t h e w a s n o t en tit led to asy lum b ec au se h e h ad n o t sho w n p ast p erse cu ti o n o r a w ell -fo u n d ed fe ar o f f u ture per s ecut i on. 13 9 6 F .3 d5 3 0 , 5 3 2 n .1 (3 dC ir . 2 0 0 5 ). 3

O r donez- M or al es t es t i fi ed thatw hen he turned 18, he began i nves t i gat i ng the ci r cumst ance s of hi s father ’ s di s appear ance and dea th, w hi ch occ urr ed forr eas ons u n k n o w n w h en h e w as th ree o r fo u r y ea rs old . R . 1 1 7 -18 , 1 2 3 . H e e n teredthe m il it ary z o n e a n dm a d e tw o o r th re e in q u ir ie s to th e G u a te m a la n m ilita ry. R . 1 1 6 -1 8 . S ub se q u e n tly , in 1 9 9 2 , a n e ig h b o r p a ss e do n ath re a t f ro m a n u n k n o w n (b u t p o ss ib ly governm ent ) s our ce t o hi s m otherthat , i f O r donez- M or al es cont i nued i nves t i gat i ng, s he w oul d be mi s tr eat ed or“the s ame thi ng w oul d happen t o her . ” R . 115, 117. H i s m other a ls o to ldh im th a t h e w a s o n alis t o f p e o p le th a t th e g o v e rn m e n t o r a rm yin v e s tig a te d . R . 1 1 9 . O r donez- M or al es di d notes t abl i s h pas tper s ecut i on. H e conc eded thathe had not been thr eat ened, beat en, i m pr i s oned orarr es t ed i n G uat emal a. R . 126. A tm os t , he des cr i bed an i ndi r ectthr eat . H ow ever , fora thr eatt o cons t i tut e per s ecut i on, i tm us tbe h igh lyim m inen t and co n cre te. S ee C h av arria v. G o n za lez, 44 6 F . 3 d5 0 8 , 5 1 8 (3d C ir . 20 06 ); L i v. A tt orneyG en. of the U nit ed S t at es, 40 0 F . 3d 15 7, 16 5 (3d C i r. 20 05 ). Ital so m u s t b e s u f

f ic ie n tly m e n a c in g s o a s to c au s e s ig n if ic a n t a c tu a l s u f

f e ri n g o r h a rm . See C havarr i a, 446 F. 3d at518. T he thr eatthatO r donez- M or al es t es t i fi ed aboutdi d not ri s e to th e le v e l o f

p e rs e c u tio n . O rd o n e z -M o ra les a lso a rg u e s th a t th e B IA sh o u ldh a v e h e ldth a t h e h a daw e llf o u n d e df e a r o f f u tu re p e rse c u tio n b e c au se o f th e d isap p e a ra n c e a n dd e a th o f h is f a th e r inthe pas t . H ow ever , des pi t e cl ai m i ng i n hi s br i ef thathi s fatherw as per s ecut ed by

m e m b e rs o f

th e G u a tem a lan m ili tarye stab lish m e n t, he c o n c e d e da t h is h e a rin g th a t h e d id notknow w ho ki l l ed hi s father , R . 123. T hus , he di d notes t abl i s h befor e the age ncythat hi s father ’ s death r es ul t ed fr om per s ecut i on on the bas i s of a pr ot ect ed gr ound, l etal one p r o v e th a ta n ya l l e g e dp e r s e c u t i o n c o u l db e i mp u t e dt o h i m. O rdo n ez -M o rales d id n o t othe rw ise p rov e a w ell -fo u n d ed fe ar o f f u ture p e rse c u tio n , b e c au se n o th in g in th e re c o rdsu g g e sts th a t h e w o u ldb e sin g led o u t in G uat emal a forper s ecut i on on acc ountof a pr ot ect ed gr ound. See Sukw anputr a v. G onzal es , 434 F. 3d 627, 637 ( 3d C i r . 2006) . M or eover , hi s m other , t o w hom the thr eat w a s d ir e c te d , re m a in s u n h a rm e din G u a te m a la , a c c o rd in g to h is te s tim o n y , R . 1 2 7 . See Li e v. A s hcr oft , 396 F. 3d 530, 537 ( 3d C i r . 2005) ( hol di ng thatthe r eas onabl enes s of a p eti ti o n er’s w ell -fo u n d ed fe ar o f f u ture p erse cu ti o n is dim inishe dw h en fa m il ym em b ers re m a in in th e p e titio n e r’ s n a tiv e c o u n tryw ith o u t m e e tin g h a rm ). I n s hort , w e hol d thatthe B I A di d noterri n concludi ng thatO r donez- M or al es w as n o t e n title dto a s y lu m . A c c o rd in g ly, w e w ill d e n yth e p e titio n f o r r e v ie w .

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