N O T FO R PUB L ICAT IO N UNITED STATES C OUR T OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH C IR C UIT
ILC IA AVELI PER

EZ, Pe t i tione r,
v. LORETTA E. LYNC H, Attorne y Ge ne ra l, R e sponde nt. No. 11-72031 Age n c y No. A078-654-287
M EM O R ANDUM *

On Pe tition for Re vie w of a n Orde r of the B oa rd of Im m igration Appe a ls Argue d a nd Subm itte d M arc h

17, 2016 San Fran c isc o , C a lifornia B e fore : GOULD, B YB EE, ** and FR IEDLAND, C irc uit Judge s. Ilc ia Ave l i Pe re z , a

41-y e ar-old na

tive and c itiz e n of Gua

te m a la , pe titions for re vie w of the B o a

rd of Im m igration Appe a ls’ (B IA’ s) de nia l of he r a pplic ation for a s y lum

an d withholding of re

m ova l. The m a in que stion on a ppe a l is whe the r 

# F IL ED
JAN 03 2017 M OLLY C. DW Y E R, CLERK U. S. CO URT O F APPEALS

* This disposition is not a ppropria te for public at ion a

nd is not pre c e de nt e xc e pt a s provide d

by Ninth C irc uit R

ule 36-3.

* * Afte r ora l a

rgum e nt in this c a se , Judge B y b e e re pla c e d Judge Noona n on this pa ne l
.substa

ntia l e vide nc e supports the B IA’ s de te rm inat ion tha

t Pe re z did not fa c e pe rse c ution “ on a c c ount of” he r m e m be rship in a

group of “ Guate m a l an wom e n who obje c t to be ing forc e d into a m a rita l re lationship.” Se e Parussimov a v . Muk ase y , 555 F.3d 734, 739 (9th C ir. 2008). Substa n tia l e vide nc e doe s not support the B IA’ s de c ision. Pe re z pre se nte d both dire c t a nd c irc um sta

ntia l e vide nc e showing tha

t he r re sista

nc e to m arita l re que sts wa s “ at le a st one c e ntra l re a son” for he r pe rse c ution. 8 U.S.C . § 1158(b)(1)(B )(I); IN S v . Elias-Zac arias , 502 U.S. 478, 483 (1992). Tha

t e vide nc e inc lude d (1) Pe re z ’ s c re dible , unc ontrove rte d te s tim ony that he r a ssa i l ant ha

ra sse d a n d atte m pte d to ra pe he r be c a

use she obje c te d to
m arry ing him ; (2) Pe re z ’ s te stim ony tha t two of he r c ousins we re ha ra sse d, ra pe d,
and atta c k e d for re sisting marita l re que sts; a n d (3) the U.S. De pa

rtm e nt of Sta

te ’ s 2009 c ountry

re port a nd se ve ra l ne wspa

pe r artic le s , a l l of whic h de sc ribe d viole nc e
a ga inst wom e n in Gua

te m a la
. To the e xte nt the B IA he ld tha t Pe re z ha d

not e sta blishe d pa st pe rse c ution, the B IA a lso e rre d. The re pe a te d ha ra ssm e nt, the thre ats, a

nd the atte m

pte d ra pe that Pe re z suffe re d we re suffic ie ntly se rious to a

m ount to pa st pe rse c ution, se e Lope z-Galarza v . IN

S , 99 F.3d 954, 959 (9th C ir. 1996) (“ [R ] a pe or se xua l a ssa

ult
. . . m a y c onstitute

pe rse c ution.” ), and Pe re z pre s e nte d c re dible e vide n c e that she
re porte d the atte m

p te d ra pe to no a va il, suffic i e ntly de m onstra ting tha t the polic e
2we re unwilling or una ble to he lp he r, se eSingh v . IN S , 94 F.3d 1353, 1360 (9th C ir. 1996) (c onc luding tha t the gove rnm e nt wa s una ble or unwilling to prote c t the pe titione r and his fa

m ily whe n pe titione r re p orte d his a ssa ults to the polic e and ide n tifie d his a ssa i la

nts, but the

polic e fa ile d to re spond). Although wehold tha

t Pe re z de m onstra

te d tha t the pe rse c ution shefa c e d ha s the re quire d ne xus to he r c la im e d soc ia l group, we c annot de c ide in the first insta nc e whe the r that group is a c ogniz a ble soc i a l group. TheB IA did not re a c h that issue , a nd the B IA m

ust ha ve “ the opportunity

to a ddre ss the m atte r in the first insta nc e in light of its own e

xpe rtise .” IN

S v . Ve ntura , 537 U.S. 12, 17 (2002). We
a lso note that

the B IA’ s de c ision be low pre date d our e n ba nc de c ision in He nrique z-Riv as v . Holde r , 707 F.3d 1081 (9th C ir. 2013) (e n ba nc ), whic h
c la rifie d the a

ppropria te soc ia l-group a

na ly sis. W e the re fore G RANT the pe tition a nd RE M A ND the c a s e to the B IA for furthe r proc e e dings c onsiste nt with this de c ision.

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