FI LED U. S . COURT OF AP PE ALS E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT O c t obe r 16, 2007 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. 07- 11370 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ B I A N o. A 96- 285- 052 H E C T O R H U G O S A N T I L L A N , 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

_________________________ ( O c t ob e r 16, 2007) B efo re T JO F L A T , B L A C K an d H U L L , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M:Santillan does not raise a ny challeng e in his brief to the denial of re lief under the 1 United Nations Convention Ag ainst Torture a nd Other Crue l, Inhuman, or De gradingTreatment or Punishment. 8 C.F.R. § 208.16(c). Thus, hehas aba ndoned this issue. See Sepulveda v. U.S. Att’y Gen. , 401 F.3d 1226, 1228 n.2 ( 11th Cir. 2005). 2 H e c t orH ugo S a nt i l l a n, ac i t i z e n of A r ge nt i na , appe a l s the B oa r d of I m m i gr a t i on A ppe a l s ’ ( B I A ’ s ) de c i s i on a dopt i ng a nd a f f i rm i ng the I m m i gr a t i on J udge ’ s ( I J ’ s ) de ni a l of

hi s appl i c a t i on f

ora s y l um , 8 U . S . C . § 1158, a nd w i thh ol di ng of re m ov al un der the Im m i grat i on and N at i on al i ty A ct(I N A ), 8 1 U .S .C . § 1 2 3 1 ( b ) ( 3 ) . S a n tilla n a ls o ap p e a ls th e I J ’s d e n ia l o f h is f o u rth m o tio n to c o n tin u e h is r e m o v a l a n d a s y lu m p r o c e e d in g s , 8 C .F .R . § 1 0 0 3 .2 9 . W e d is m is s h is p e titio n in p a rt, a n d d e n yh is p e titio n in p a rt. I . ST AN DA RD OF RE VI EW W he n the B I A i s s ue s ade c i s i on, w e r e vi e w onl ytha tde c i s i on, e xc e ptt o the e x te n t th e B I A e x p r e s s lya d o p ts th e I J ’s d e c is io n . A l N a jja rv . A s h c r o

ft , 257 F . 3d 1262, 1284 ( 11th C i r . 2001) . B e c aus e the B I A a dopt e d the I J ’ s de c i s i on a nd m a de so m e fi n d i n g s o f i t s o w n , w e w i l l rev i ew b o th d eci si o n s. T o the e xt e ntthe B I A ’ s orI J ’ s de c i s i on w a s ba s e d on al e ga l de t e rm i na t i on, rev i ew i s de no vo . Mo h a m m e d v . A s h c r o

ft , 26 1 F . 3d 12 44 , 12 47 -48 (11 th C i r. 2 0 0 1 ) . F a c tu a l d e te rm in a tio n s a r e r e v ie w e d u n d e rth e s u b s ta n tia l e v id e n c e te s t, a n d w e “m u s t a f

f irm th e . . . d e c is io n if

it is ‘s u p p o rte d b yr e a s o n ab le , s u b s ta n tia l, and p robat i ve evi dence on the re cord consi dere d as aw ho l e. ’ ” A l N aj j ar , 257 F . 3d3

a t1283- 84 ( c i t a t i on om i tt e d) . “ T o r e ve r s e . . . f a c tf i ndi ngs , w e m us tf

i nd tha tthe re cord no ton l y s up po rt s r ever sa l , bu tcom pel s i t . ” Me ndoz a v . U . S. A t t ’ yG e n. , 3 2 7 F .3 d 1 2 8 3 , 1 2 8 7 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 3 ) . I I . DI S C US S I ON A . A s y lum A n a s y l um appl i c a t i on m us tbe “ f i l e d w i thi n [ one ] y e a ra f t e rthe da t e of

the a lie n ’s a rr iv a l in th e U n ite d S ta te s .” 8 U .S .C . § 1 1 5 8 ( a ) ( 2 ) ( B ) . A n u n tim e ly appl i c a t i on “ m a ybe c ons i de r e d . . . i f the a l i e n de m ons tr a t e s . . . e i the rthe e x is te n c e o f

c h a n g e d c ir c u m s ta n c e s w h ic h m a te r ia llya f f e c t th e ap p lic a n t's e l i gi bi l i tyf

ora s y l um ore xtr a or di na ryc i r c um s t a nc e s r e l a t i ng t o the de l a yi n f i l i ng an appl i ca t i on . . . . ” 8 U . S . C . § 1 15 8(a) (2)( D ). T he det erm i nat i on of w hether an a lie n c a n ap p lyf

o ra s y lu m , h o w e v e r , is le f t e x c lu s iv e lyto th e A tto rn e yG e n e r a l, and w e do n othave j uri sdi ct i on t o revi ew a dec i si on re gardi ng w hether an al i en com pl i ed w i th the on e- ye art i m e l i m i tor es t abl i shed extra ordi naryci rc um st ance s th a t w o u ld e x c u s e h is u n tim e lyf ilin g . Chac on- B ote r o v . U . S. A t t ’ yG e n. , 427 F . 3d 9 5 4 , 9 5 6 -9 5 7 (1 1 th C ir. 2 0 0 5 ). T h u s, w e d o n o t h av e ju risd icti o n to re v iew th e I J’s det erm i nat i on thatS ant i l l an’ s a sy l um cl ai m w as un t i m el y or e st abl i shed e x tr a o r d in a ryc ir c u m s ta n c e s th a t e x c u s e d S a n tilla n ’s u n tim e lyf ilin g .4

B . W i thholdi ng of

R e m ov al “A n a lie n s e e k in g w ith h o ld in g o f r e m o v a l u n d e rth e I N A m u s t s h o w th a t h is l i fe o r freed o m w o u l d b e th reat en ed o n acco u n to f race, rel i g i o n , n at i o n al i ty, m em bers hi p i n a part i cul arsoci al grou p, or po l i t i ca l op i ni on . ” Men do za , 327 F . 3d a t1287. “ A n a l i e n be a r s the bur de n of de m ons tr a t i ng tha the m or e - l i ke l y - tha n- not w ou l d b e per se cut ed or t ortured up on hi s r eturn t o the coun tryi n q uest i on . ” Id . I f the a l i e n e s t abl i s he s pa s tpe r s e c ut i on i n hi s c ountryba s e d on a pr ot e c t e d gr ound, i ti s pr e s um e d tha thi s l i f e orf r e e dom w oul d be thr e a t e ne d upon r e turn t o hi s c ountryunl e s s the D e pa rtm e ntof H o m e la n d S e c u r itys h o w s b yap r e p o n d e r a n c e o f th e e v id e n c e th a t, a m o n g o th e rth in g s . . . th a t th e a lie n c o u lda v o idaf u tu r e th r e a t to h is l i fe or fr ee do m by re l ocat i ng t o ano ther partof the prop osed coun try o f r e m o v a l, a n d it w o u ld b e r e a s o n ab le to e x p e c t h im to d o s o . Id . E v e n a s s u m in g , ar gue ndo , tha tS a nt i l l a n s uf f e r e d pa s tpe r s e c ut i on on ac co u n t o f a p ro tected g ro u n d , su b stan ti al ev id en ce su p p o rts th e I J’s a n d B IA ’s d e te rm in a tio n th a t S a n tilla n w a s n o t e n title d to w ith h o ld in g o f r e m o v a l. S peci fi ca l l y, S ant i l l an w as abl e t o l i ve athi s f ather’ s hou se i n A rgent i na for three ye ar s w i tho uti nci dent . T hu s, a pre po nd er ance of the evi dence s ho w S ant i l l an c oul d a voi d af

utur e thr e a tt o hi s l i f

e orf r e e dom byr e l oc a t i ng t o a nothe rpa rtof A r ge nt i na , a nd i ti s r e a s onabl e t o e xpe c thi m t o do s o. S a nt i l l a n ha s pr e s e nt e d no evi dence t o rebutthi s pre sum pt i on ; i nd ee d, hi s ow n t es t i m on y dem on stra t es he has an i nt ernal re l ocat i on al t ernat i ve.5

C . Mot i on f

or C on t i nu an ce W e r e v ie w th e d e n ia l o f am o tio n f

o rc o n tin u a n c e f

o rab u s e o f

d is c r e tio n . H as w ane e v . U

. S. A t t ’ yG e n. , 471 F . 3d 1212, 1214 ( 11th C i r . 2006) . T he i m m i g rat i o n reg u l at i o n s p ro v i d e th e IJ m ay g ran ta co n t i n u an ce “ fo r g o o d cau se s h o w n .” 8 C .F .R . § 1 0 0 3 .2 9 . “[ D ]is c r e tio n s h o u ld , a s ag e n e r a l ru le , b e f a v o r ab ly e xe r c i s e d w he r e apr i m af a c i e appr ovabl e vi s ape t i t i on a nd a dj us tm e ntappl i c a t i on have been subm i tt ed i n the course of a deport at i on hear i ng . . . . ” B ul l v . I . N . S. , 790 F . 2d 869, 872 ( 11th C i r . 1986) ( c i t a t i on om i tt e d) . I ti s nota n abus e of di s c r e t i on, how e ve r , f

ora n I Jt o s um m a r i l yde nyar e que s tf orc ont i nua nc e upon hi s de t e rm i na t i on tha tthe vi s ape t i t i on i s f r i vol ous , the a dj us tm e ntappl i c a t i on w oul d be de ni e d on s t a tut orygr ounds , ori n the e xe r c i s e of di s c r e t i on n o tw ith s ta n d in g th e ap p r o v a l o f th e p e titio n . I

d. U n d e rap o s t- B u ll

re vi si on t o the IN A , an al i en se eki ng t o rec ei ve an i m m i grantvi saon the basi s of am arri age w hi ch w as ent er ed i nt o d uri ng re m ov al pr oc e e di ngs m a ynotha ve the i rs t a tus a dj us t e d unl e s s the ye s t abl i s h byc l e a ra nd c onvi nc i ng e vi de nc e , t o the s a t i s f a c t i on of the a tt orne yge ne r a l , tha tthe m a rr i a ge w as ent er ed i nt o i n g oo d fai th. 8 U . S . C . § 1 25 5(e) . T he IJdi d n otabuse hi s di sc re t i on i n d enyi ng S ant i l l an’ s f ou rth requestfor a c ont i nua nc e . F i r s t , S a nt i l l a n f i l e d at ot a l of

f ourm ot i ons f

orc ont i nua nc e . S e c ond, th e IJ d et erm i n ed th atS an t i l l an h ad n o tp resen t eda “ p ri m a faci e ap p ro v ab l e v i sa6

appl i ca t i on ” bec ause S ant i l l an di d n otpres entcl ear and conv i nci ng evi dence that hi s m arri age w as ent er ed i nt o i n g oo d fai th. S ant i l l an’ s new w i fe had b ee n m arri ed and d i vo rc ed 4 t i m es i n the 19 ye ar s l ea di ng up t o thei r m arri age. F urther, S a n tilla n m a rr ie d h is n e w w if e f iv e d a y s a f

te rd iv o r c in g h is f

ir s t w if e . W h ile S a nt i l l a n pr e s e nt e d e vi de nc e s how i ng hi s m a rr i a ge w a s l e ga l , he di d notpr e s e nt othe rc l e a ra nd c onvi nc i ng e vi de nc e hi s ne w m a rr i a ge w a s e nt e r e d i nt o i n good fai th . W i th o u tp resen t i n g su ch cl ear an d co n v i n ci n g ev i d en ce, th e IJ d i d n o tab u se i t s di s c r e t i on i n r e f

us i ng t o gr a ntac ont i nua nc e . A c c or di ngl y , w e di s m i s s the p e titio n in p a rt, a n d d e n yth e p e titio n in p a rt. D I SM I SSED I N PA R T, D EN I ED I N PA R T.