FI LED U. S . COURT OF AP PE ALS E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT Se pt e m be r 2, 2005 T HOM AS K. KAHN CL E RK [ 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. 04- 11002 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ A ge nc yN o. A 77- 920- 562 M A S E L I E D U M E R C Y , 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

_________________________ ( S e pt e m be r2, 2005)
B efo re A N D E R S O N , B A R K E T T an dW IL S O N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: M a s e l i e D um e r c ype t i t i ons thi s C ourtf orr e vi e w of

the B oa r d of2

I m m i gr a t i on A ppe a l s ( “ B I A ” ) or de ra f f i rm i ng w i thoutopi ni on the i m m i gr a t i on j ud ge’ s ( “ IJ ”) deci si on denyi ng her a sy l um , w i thh ol di ng of re m ov al , and rel i ef unde rthe U ni t e d S t a t e s C onve nt i on on T ortur e a nd O the rC rue l , I nhum a n or D e gr a di ng T r e a tm e ntorP uni s hm e nt( “ C A T ” )
. W e de nythe pe t i t i on. B e c aus e the B I A a f

f i rm e d the I J ’ s de c i s i on w i thoutopi ni on, the I J ’ s de c i s i on is th e f in a l a g e n c yd e c is io n s u b je c t to r e v ie w . Se e Me ndoz a v . U
. S. A t t ’ yG e n. , 327 F .3 d 1 2 8 3 , 1 2 8 4 n .1 (1 1 th C ir. 2 0 0 3 ). W e r ev iew fo r s u b stan ti al ev id en ce an IJ ’s f a c tu a l d e te rm in a tio n th a t a n a lie n is n o t e n title dto a s y lu m . Id
. T o qua l i f yf or
a s y l um , a n a l i e n m us ts how pa s tpe r s e c ut i on oraw e l l
- f ounde d f e a rof pe r s e c ut i on “o n a c c o u n t o f

” h e rp o litic a l o p in io n ( o ra n o th e rp r o te c te dg r o u n d )
. See I N S v. E l i as - Zac ar i as , 5 0 2 U .S . 4 7 8 , 1 1 2 S . C t. 8 1 2 , 8 1 5 ( 1 9 9 2 )
. T he I Jc onc l ude d tha tD um e r c y ’ s t e s t i m onyw a s va gue a nd c onf l i c t i ng on key i ss ues. In supp ortof her c l ai m of pastpers ec ut i on or fe arof future pe r s e c ut i on, D um e r c y , ana t i ve a nd c i t i z e n of H a i t i , m a i nt a i ne d tha the rboy f r i e nd ( M a rk H e nryF l e ur i va l ) w a s s hota nd ki l l e d bythe L a va l a s ga ng i n H a i t i f or p o li ti ca l rea so n s. S h e s u b m itted F leu riv al’s d ea th ce rtificate f o r th e I J’s consi dera t i on and con t ended thatbecause F l euri val w as ki l l ed du e t o h i s pol i t i ca l
o p in io n , th e L a v a la s g r o u p w ill s e e kto p e r s e c u te h e rif s h e is r e tu rn e dto H a iti. S he t es t i fi ed thatshe w as t ortured ph ys i ca l l y and m ent al l y by the threa tof vi ol ence and F l euri val ’ s death, and thatre l ocat i on w as no tan op t i on as the H ai t i an3

gove rnm e nti s unabl e t o c ontr ol the L a va l a s . B uts ubs t a nt i a l e vi de nc e s upport s the I J ’ s r e j e c t i on of

F l e ur i va l ’ s de a th c e rt i f i c a t e a nd the pol i c e c om pl a i ntpr e s e nt e d by D um e r c yi n s upportof

he rappl i c a t i on – the de a th c e rt i f i c a t e w a s de t e rm i ne d t o be f r au d u le n t a n d th e p o lic e c o m p la in t w a s s u s p ic io u s d u e to n u m e r o u s irr e g u la r itie s . W ith o u t o th erev id en ce to su p p o rt h erclaim , su b stan ti al ev id en ce su p p o rts th e I J’s
c onc l us i on tha tD um e r c yf a i l e d t o m e e the rbur de n t o e s t abl i s h e l i gi bi l i tyf or
a s y l u m. F urtherm ore, because s he i s notent i t l ed t o asy l um , D um er cycann otqu al i fy f o rw ith h o ld in g o f

r e m o v a l, w h ic h h a s am o r e s tr in g e n t s ta n d a r df o re lig ib ility
. Se e M az ar i egos v . O

f f i c e of U
. S. A t t ’ yG e n. , 24 1 F
. 3d 13 20 , 13 24 n. 2 (11 th C i r. 20 01 ). S i m i l ar l y, she i s unabl e t o m ee tthe bu rden on her c l ai m for C A T re l i ef
w h ic h a ls o h a s ah ig h e rb u r d e n th a n th a t im p o s e do n th e a s y lu m s e e k e r . Se e Al N a jja rv . A s h c r o

ft , 25 7 F
. 3d 12 62 , 13 03 (11th C i r. 20 01 ). F i ndi ng D um e r c y ’ s c l a i m s w i thoutm e r i t , w e de nyhe rpe t i t i on. DE NI E D.