### F I LE D U. S . COURT OF AP PE ALS E LEVE NTH CI RCUI T Se pt e m be r 14, 2005 T HOM AS K. KAHN C L 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

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________________________ A ge nc yN os . A 95- 534- 279 & A 95- 534- 280 D I E G O D E L C A S T I L L O - R E S T R E P O , E L I Z A B E T H M A L A G A N - M A N R I Q U E , A L E J A N D R O D E L C A S T I L L O - M A L A G A N , S E B A S T I A N D E L C A S T I L L O - M A L A G A N , P e titio n e r s , 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.

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the B oa r d of I m m i gr a t i on A ppe a l s , w hi c h a f f i rm e d, w i thoutopi ni on, the de ni a l of C a s t i l l o’ s r e que s tf

orpol i t i c a l a 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 tyA c t . B e c aus e s ubs t ant i a l e vi de nc e s upport s the deci si on thatC as t i l l o fai l ed t o est abl i sh ei ther pas tpers ec ut i on or a w el l -f ou nd ed f e a ro f p e r s e c u tio n , w e d e n yh is p e titio n .

I . STA N D A R D O F R EVI EW W he n the B oa r d of

I m m i gr a t i on A ppe a l s e xpr e s s l ya dopt s the I m m i gr a t i on J udge ’ s opi ni on, w e r e vi e w the I J ’ s opi ni on “ a s i f i tw e r e the B I A ’ s . ” N r e kav. U . S . A tt ’ yG e n. , 408 F . 3d 1361, 1368 ( 11th C i r . 2005) . W e r e vi e w the de c i s i on of th e I J u n d erth e s u b stan ti al ev id en ce stan d ar d . M az ar ieg o s v . O ff ice o f U .S . A tt ’y G e n ., 2 4 1 F .3 d1 3 2 0 , 1 3 2 3 - 2 4 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 1 ) . T h is s ta n d a r dis h ig h ly d ef er en ti al. A l N ajjar v . A sh cr o ft, 2 5 7 F .3 d1 2 6 2 , 1 2 7 8 (1 1 th C ir. 2 0 0 1 ). “[W ]e vi e w the r e c or d e vi de nc e i n the l i ghtm os tf a vor abl e t o the a ge nc y ’ s de c i s i on a nd dr a w a l l r e a s onabl e i nf

e r e nc e s i n f

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e m i v. A s hc r of

t , 386 F .3 d1 0 2 2 , 1 0 2 7 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 4 ) ( e n b an c ) , c e rt. d e n ie d , 5 4 4 U .S . ___ , 1 2 5 S . C t. 2 2 4 5 ( 2 0 0 5 ) . “[ F ]in d in g s o f f a c t m a d e b y. . . th e [ I J ] m a yb e r e v e r s e db yth is [C ] ou rton l y w hen the re cord com pel s are vers al ; the m er e f ac tthatthe re cord m ay s upportac ontr a ryc onc l us i on i s note nough t o j us t i f yar e ve r s a l of

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adm i ni stra t i ve fi nd i ng s. ” I d. C as t i l l o “ m ustshow thatthe evi dence he pres ent ed w a s s o c o m p e llin g th a t n o r e a s o n ab le f a c tf in d e rc o u ldf

a il to f in d ” in h is f

a v o r . IN S v. E l i as -Z ac ar i as , 50 2 U . S . 47 8, 48 3-84 , 11 2 S . C t . 81 2, 81 7 (19 92 ). I I . DI S CUS S I ON A n app l i cantm ayappl y f or as yl um , and the A tt orney G ener al m aygrantthat appl i c a t i on, i f

the appl i c a nti s a“ r e f

uge e . ” 8 U . S . C . § 1158( b) ( 1) ( A ) . T he appl i c a ntf

ora s y l um m us tbe unw i l l i ng orunabl e t o r e turn t o ac ountry“ be c aus e of [ p a s t] p e r s e c u tio n o raw e ll- f o u n d e df 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 , o rp o litic a l o p in io n .” I d . § 11 01 (a )( 42 )( A ); se e a l so A l N ajj ar , 25 7 F . 3d at12 84 . T he IJm ustbe pres ent ed w ith “d e ta ile df

a c ts ” th a t s u p p o rt a n ap p lic a n t’s f e a rth a t h e w ill b e “s in g le do u t” be c aus e of

one of thos e pr ot e c t e d s t a tut oryf a c t or s . A l N a

jj a r , 257 F . 3d a t1287. S ub st ant i al evi dence s up po rt s the det erm i nat i on thatC as t i l l o w as no tent i t l ed t o a s y l um . A l though C a s t i l l o tw i c e w a s c onf r ont e d bym e n a s s oc i a t e d w i th the R e vol ut i ona ryA rm e d F or c e s of C ol um bi a( F A R C ) w ho thr e a t e ne d C a s t i l l o a nd sol i ci t ed hi s a gri cul tural expert i se for purpo se s r el at ed t o thei r ow n agri cul tural proj ec t s, C as t i l l o n everw as ph ys i ca l l y harm ed. C as t i l l o and hi s f am i l y r ec ei ved num e r ous thr e a t s ove rthe phone , but“ pe r s e c ut i on i s a n e xtr e m e c onc e pt , r e qui r i ng m o r e th a n af

e w is o la te din c id e n ts o f v e rb a l h a r a s s m e n t o rin tim id a tio n , a n d. . .4

m e r e h a r a s s m e n t d o e s n o t a m o u n t to p e r s e c u tio n .” S e p u lv e d av . U .S . A tt’yG e n ., 401 F . 3d 1226, 1231 ( 11th C i r . 2005) , s upe r s e di ng 378 F . 3d 1260 ( 11th C i r . 2004) ( i nt e rna l quot a t i ons a nd c i t a t i on om i tt e d) . S ubs t a nt i a l e vi de nc e s upport s the f in d in g th a t C a s tillo f

a ile dto e s tab lis h p a s t p e r s e c u tio n . S u b st an t i al ev i d en ce al so su p p o rt s th e fi n d i n g th atC ast i l l o fai l ed t o est ab l i sh a w el l -f ou nd ed fe arof pers ec ut i on . A l tho ug h a neph ew of C as t i l l o w as m urdered w hi l e C a s t i l l o w a s be i ng ha r a s s e d bythe F A R C , C a s t i l l o of f e r e d l i tt l e e vi de nc e of w hy, or by w ho m , hi s nephew w as m urdered. A ft erthe m urder, C as t i l l o travel ed to a n df r o m th e U n ite dS ta te s s e v e r a l tim e s w ith o u t r e q u e s tin g p o litic a l a s y lu m . A f te rh is in itia l c o n f

r o n ta tio n w ith th e F A R C , C a s tillo a ls o r e tu rn e dto C o lu m b ia on se vera l occa si on s f

or vari ou s r ea sons, i ncl ud i ng t o “ tryt o est abl i sh [hi m se l f] agai n i n C ol um bi a. ” C ast i l l o al so can n o tsat i sfy th e h i g h er b u rd en o f p ro o f req u i red t o est ab l i sh gr ounds f

orw i thhol di ng of

r e m ova l . “ W he r e a n appl i c anti s unabl e t o m e e tthe w e l l - f ounde d f e a rs t a nda r d f

ora s y l um , he i s ge ne r a l l ypr e c l ude d f r om qua l i f

y i ng for . . . w i thh ol di ng of [r em ov al ] . ” A l N ajj ar , 25 7 F . 3d at12 92 -93 (i nt ernal qu ot at i on s and ci t at i on om i tt ed). P E T I T I ON DE NI E D.