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 by9th C i r . R . 36- 3.

T he pane 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 ar g u m e n t. See F ed. R . A pp . P . 34 (a )( 2).

T h e o r ig in a l p an e l in c lu d e dJu d g e C y n th iaH a ll, w h o is d e c e a s e d . W e *** h a v e d e te rm in e dth a t th e ap p o in tm e n t o f ar e p la c e m e n t ju d g e is u n n e c e s s ary . (F i l i ng del ay ed du e t o cl er i ca l error. ) 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 T E OD OR O S E GU ND O E S P I NO Z ACA D EN A S, 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. 07- 75061 A ge nc yN o. A 070- 774- 305 ME MOR AN DU M *

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the B o ar do f I m m ig r a tio n A p p e a ls S ubm i tt e d J anuary4, 2011 ** S an F r an c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: H U G an dB E E Z E R , C i rcu i tJu d g es. *** 

# FI LED JU N 13 2011 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

T e o d o r o E s p in o z a - C a d e n a s , an a tiv e a n dc itiz e n o f G u a te m a la , ille g a lly ent er ed the U ni t ed S t at es w i tho uti nspect i on i n 1 99 2. H e c l ai m s t o h ave been pe r s e c ut e d bygue r i l l ar e be l s i n G ua t e m a l a , a nd he s e e ks a s y l um , w i thhol di ng of r e m ova l , and r e l i e f

unde rthe C onve nt i on A ga i ns tT ortur e . A n I m m i gr a t i on Judge de ni e d hi s c l a i m s ba s e d on an a dve r s e c r e di bi l i tyf i ndi ng, a nd a l t e rna t i ve l yon E s pi noz a - C a de na s ’ s f

a i l ur e t o m e e thi s bur de n of pr oof f orr e l i e f . T he B oar d of I m m ig r a tio n A p p e a ls a f f irm e do n th e s e g r o u n d s . W e h a v e ju r is d ic tio n p u r s u an t to 8 U .S .C . § 1 2 5 2 a n dw e d e n yth e p e titio n . A s an i ni t i a l m a tt e r , E s pi noz a - C a de na s a r gue s tha tthe I Je rr e d bynot ad m itti n g so m e o f h is d o cu m en tary ev id en ce fo r w an t o f au th en ti ca ti o n . A n IJ ’s d e c is io n to e x c lu d e ad o c u m e n t f r o m e v id e n c e f

o rla c ko f

au th e n tic a tio n is r e v ie w e df

o ra n ab u s e o f

d is c r e tio n . V

at yan v. Mukasey , 5 0 8 F .3 d1 1 7 9 , 1 1 8 2 ( 9 th C i r. 20 07 ). T he IJdeem ed the evi dence notauthent i cat ed because the on l y s ou rc e o f in f o rm a tio n ab o u t th e e v id e n c e w a s E s p in o z a - C a d e n a s ’s o w n in c r e d ib le t e s t i m ony . B e c aus e a n I Jm ayc ons i de rthe c r e di bi l i tyof ape t i t i one r ’ s t e s t i m ony b ef o re d ec id in g w h eth erev id en ce h as b ee n au th en ti ca ted , i t w as w ith inth e I J’s d is c r e tio n to e x c lu d e s o m e o f E s p in o z a - C a d e n a s ’s d o c u m e n tarye v id e n c e . See 8 C .F .R . § 1 2 4 0 .1 ( c ) . E s p in o z a - C a d e n a s ’s s u g g e s tio n th a t ap e titio n e r ’s in c r e d ib le te s tim o n ym u s t b e s u f

f ic ie n t to au th e n tic a te d o c u m e n ts is u n s up p o rte d .3

O ur re vi ew of the IJ ’ s a dv er se cr edi bi l i ty f i nd i ng i s def

er ent i al . A s l on g as o n e o f th e id e n tif

ie dg r o u n d s u n d e r ly in g th e a d v e r s e c r e d ib ilityf in d in g is s upport e d bys ubs t ant i a l e vi de nc e a nd goe s t o the he artof the c l a i m s of p e r s e c u tio n , w e a r e b o u n dto a c c e p t th e a g e n c y ’s f in d in g . W

a n gv . I NS , 352 F . 3d 1 2 5 0 , 1 2 5 9 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 3 ) . T h e I J a n dB IA n o tedm ater ial i n co n sisten cies inE sp in o za -C ad en as ’s t es t i m on y thatw er e atthe heartof hi s c l ai m s of per se cut i on . F or i nst ance , E spi no za -C adenas t es t i fi ed thatgu er i l l a r ebel s att ac ked h i s brother because they m i s t ook hi s br othe rf

orhi m . H ow e ve r , E s pi noz a - C a de na s ’ s a s y l um appl i c a t i on s t a t e d tha the w a s nots ur e w ho a tt a c ke d hi s br othe r , a nd tha thi s br othe rm ayha ve b e e n a tta c k e db e c au s e o f h is “b e lie f

s .” E s p in o z a - C a d e n a s a ls o te s tif ie dth a t h is brother th r e w h im s e lf o v e rab r id g e to e s c ap e g u e r illa s , b u t th is is in c o n s is te n t w ith a l ett erfr om E spi no za -C adenas ’ s other brother s t at i ng thathi s brother wa s th r o wn b y g u eri l la s o v e rab r id g e . F u rth e rm o r e , E s p in o z a - C a d e n a s te s tif ie dth a t h is c o u s in w a s m u r d e r e db yg u e r illa s , p o s s ib lyb e c au s e h is c o u s in c o n f r o n te dth e m . H ow e ve r , a“ pa tr ol uni tr e port ” s ubm i tt e d byE s pi noz a - C a de na s s t a t e s tha tthe m u rd er w as p arto f a ro b b ery, an di td o es n o tm en t i o n t i es t o an y g u eri l l as. T h ese i nc ons i s t e nc i e s a r e c e ntr a l t o E s pi noz a - C a de na s ’ s c l a i m s f orr e l i e f be c aus e the a lle g e da tta c k s o n E s p in o z a - C a d e n a s ’s f a m ilyw e r e th e p r im aryr e a s o n s f o rh is4

im m ig r a tio n to th e U n ite dS ta te s . T h e r e f o r e , w e a c c e p t th e a d v e r s e c r e d ib ility d e te rm in a tio n s o f

th e c o u rts b e lo w . Be c au s e Es p i n o z a - Ca d e n a s h a s f a i l e dt o d e mo n s tr a t e e l i g i b i l i tyf o ra s y l u m, h e n e c e s s ar ilyh a s f

a ile dto d e m o n s tr a te e lig ib ilityf o rw ith h o ld in g o f

r e m o v a l. See G h a l yv . I NS , 58 F . 3d 14 25 , 14 29 (9th C i r. 19 95 ) ( “ [F ] ai l ure t o sat i sf y the l es se r s t a nda r d of

pr oof r e qui r e d t o e s t abl i s h e l i gi bi l i tyf ora s y l um ne c e s s ar i l yr e s ul t s i n a f a ilu r e to d e m o n s tr a te e lig ib ilityf o rw ith h o ld in g o f

d e p o rta tio n a s w e ll.” ) . E lig ib ilityf

o rC A T r e lie f

is d is tin c t f

r o m e lig ib ilityf

o ra s y lu m . Kam al thas v . I NS , 2 5 1 F .3 d1 2 7 9 , 1 2 8 2

– 8 3 (9 th C ir. 2 0 0 1 ). H o w ev er , E sp in o za -C ad en as ’s C A T c l a i m s a r e ba s e d on the s a m e t e s t i m onytha tthe B I A a nd I Jde t e rm i ne d t o be n o t c r e d ib le . B e c au s e E s p in o z a - C a d e n a s “p o in ts to n o o th e re v id e n c e th a t h e c o u ld c l a i m th e B I A s h o u l dh a v e c o n s i d e r e di n m a k i n g s i t s [ C AT ] d e t e rm i n a t i o n , ” we m u s t a f f irm th e r e

je c tio n o f

h is C A T c la im . Se e Fa ra h v . A s h c r o ft , 348 F . 3d 1153, 1 1 5 7 (9 th C i r. 2 0 0 3 ). E sp i n o za-C ad en as i s n o tel i g i b l e fo r C A T p ro t ect i o n b ecau se he has notprod uced cre di bl e e vi dence thathe w i l l m ore l i kel y than n otbe t ortured if r e m o v e dto G u a te m a la . See 8 C .F .R . § 1 2 0 8 .1 6 ( c ) ( 2 ) . T h e p et i t i o n fo r rev i ew i s D EN I ED .