FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEVEN T HC IRC U IT DECEMBER 13, 2006 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ 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. 06- 13460 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ B I A N o. A 96- 287- 429 E D I T H Y E S E N I A P O R R A S , J E S U S B O T E R O , N A T A L I A B O T E R O , 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.

________________________ 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

_________________________ ( D e c e m b e r 13, 2006) B efo re T JO F L A T , B IR C H an d P R Y O R , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M:2

E di th Y e s e ni aP orr a s , hus ba nd J e s us B ot e r o, a nd daught e rN a t a l i aB ot e r o, pet i t i on for r evi ew of the order of the B oard of Im m i grat i on A pp ea l s thataf fi rm ed the de ni a l of

P orr a s ’ s pe t i t i on f

ora s y l um a nd w i thhol di ng of r e m ova l by the I m m i gr a t i on J udge . W e de ny the pe t i t i on. P orra s i s aci t i ze n o f C ol om bi a w ho previ ou sl y r es i ded i n B og ot a. P orra s w as adm i tt ed t o the U ni t ed S t at es as a non -i m m i grantvi si t or i n 2 00 2 and she f i l ed atim e ly ap p lic a tio n f

o ra s y lu m a n d w ith h o ld in g o f r e m o v a l. P o rr a s te s tif

ie d to s e v e r a l in c id e n ts in C o lo m b iath a t le d h e rto f le e to th e U n ite d S ta te s . A l though P orr a s i s c e rt i f i e d t o t e a c h y oung c hi l dr e n i n C ol om bi a , s he t e s t i f i e d a the rr e m ova l he a r i ng tha ts he w orke d f orat e l e vi s i on pr ogr a m , “ I K now W hatY ou D on ’ tK no w , ” f or w hi ch she di d res earc h and occa si on al l y c on du ct ed on -a i r i nt ervi ew s. S he adm i tt ed thatshe w as no ta “ T V pers on al i ty” bu tt es t i fi ed tha ts he be ga n t o r e c e i ve de a th thr e a t s a f t e rr e s e a r c hi ng a nd a i r i ng a n e pi s ode on the t ow n of

T i ba natha tm a y ha ve i m pl i c i t l y c r i t i c i z e d the t e rr or i s tor ga ni z a t i on, F A R C . P o rras d i d n o to ffer a v i d eo t ap e o f th i s p ro g ram i n t o ev i d en ce. S h e al so offe re d con fl i ct i ng do cum ent s thati dent i fi ed her r ol e on the t el evi si on prog ra m v ari o u sl y as p ro g ram co o rd i n at o r, p ro d u ct i o n assi st an t , an d secret ary. P o rras al so t e s t i f i e d tha ts he w a s am e m be rof the L i be r a l P a rty a nd vol unt e e r e d on the m a y o r a l c a m p a ig n o f

J e s ú s R ic o n , th e L ib e r a l P a rty c a n d id a te f o rm a y o ro f

T ib a n a .3

P orra s t es t i fi ed thatthe F A R C m ent i on ed her j ou rnal i st i c and po l i t i ca l ac t i vi t i es w h e n th e y th r e a te n e d h e r . T he IJconcl ud ed thatP orra s had no tes t abl i shed pastpers ec ut i on or an o b je c tiv e w e ll- f

o u n d e d f e a ro f f u tu r e p e r s e c u tio n a n d d e n ie d h e ra s y lu m p e titio n . B ec ause P orra s w as un abl e t o m ee tthe l ow erbu rden for as yl um , the IJfoun d that P o rr a s n e c e s s a r ily f

a ile d to p r o v e th a t s h e w a s e n title d to w ith h o ld in g o f r e m o v a l. W hen the B IA expres sl y a do pt s the deci si on of the IJ , w e r evi ew that deci si on . A l N ajj arv. A shcr oft , 25 7 F . 3d 12 62 , 12 84 (11th C i r. 20 01 ). W e r evi ew le g a l c o n c lu s io n s d e n o v o a n d f in d in g s o f

f a c t u n d e rth e s u b s ta n tia l e v id e n c e te s t. N r e k av . U n ite d S ta te s A tto rn e y G e n ., 4 0 8 F .3 d 1 3 6 1 , 1 3 6 8 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 5 ) . P orr a s r a i s e s tw o a r gum e nt s . F i r s t , s he a r gue s tha tthe r e c or d c om pe l s the c o n c lu s io n th a t s h e e s tab lis h e d p a s t p e r s e c u tio n o n a c c o u n t o f ap r o te c te d g r o u n d . S e c ond, s he a r gue s tha ts he e s t abl i s he d aw e l l - f ounde d f e a rof f utur e pe r s e c ut i on on a c c ountof

apr ot e c t e d gr ound. W e a ddr e s s e a c h a r gum e nti n turn. F i rs t , P orra s argues thatshe e st abl i shed pastpers ec ut i on because of her pol i t i c a l opi ni on a nd he re m pl oy m e nta s aj ourna l i s t . W e di s a gr e e . E ve n a s s um i ng tha tj ourna l i s t s a r e apr ot e c t e d s oc i a l c l a s s unde rthe I m m i gr a t i on a nd N a tur a l i z a t i on A c t , P orr a s ’ s a l l e ge d pa s tpe r s e c ut i on c ons i s t e d of one thr e a t e ni ng phone c a l l , tw o thr e a t e ni ng not e s , a nd ave rba l w a rni ng. P orr a s w a s ne ve rha rm e d, a n d th e th r e a ts a g a in s t h e r , s ta n d in g a lo n e , d o n o t c o n s titu te p a s t p e r s e c u tio n .4

P e r s e c u tio n is “a n e x tr e m e c o n c e p t, r e q u ir in g m o r e th a n af e w is o la te d in 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 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 pe r s e c ut i on. ” Z he ng v. U . S . A tt ’ y G e n. , 451 F . 3d 1287, 1290 ( 11th C i r . 2006) (c i t at i on om i tt ed). S e c ond, P orr a s a r gue s tha the re vi de nc e , w he n e xa m i ne d i n the l i ghtof the pe r s e c ut i on of

C ol om bi a n j ourna l i s t s by the F A R C , s a t i s f i e d the obj e c t i ve pa rtof the w el l -f

ou nd ed fe arof future pers ec ut i on st andard. A gai n, w e di sa gree . T he IJ di d notdi s put e tha tP orr a s s ubj e c t i ve l y f e a r e d pe r s e c ut i on, butthe e vi de nc e di d not co m p el a f

in d in g th at th is fe arw as w ell-fo u n d ed . S ee S ep u lv ed a v . U .S . A tt ’y G e n. , 401 F . 3d 1226, 1231 ( 11th C i r . 2005) . A l though the 2003 S t a t e D e pa rtm e nt C ountry R e portf

orC ol om bi ae xpl a i ne d tha tthe F A R C i nt i m i da t e s , ki dnaps , a nd occa si on al l y ki l l s j ou rnal i st s, P orra s f ai l ed t o p re se ntany e vi dence thather no t ori ety a s aj ou rnal i stw ou l d o ut l as ther f i ve-y ear absence fr om C ol om bi a or that th e F A R C m ig h t s in g le h e ro u t. S e e A l N a jjar , 2 5 7 F .3 d a t 1 2 8 7 . B e c aus e P orr a s ’ s a s y l um c l a i m f a i l s , s o doe s he rc l a i m f orw i thhol di ng of r e m ova l , s e e i d. a t1292–93. P E T I T I ON DE NI E D.