### F I LE D U. S . COURT OF AP PE ALS E LEVE NTH CI RCUI T June 16, 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

________________________ N o. 04- 13591 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ A ge nc y N os . A 79- 430- 161 & A 79- 430- 162 R O S A E L E N A M U N E R A - M U N E R A , S E B A S T I A N V A R G A S - M U N E R A , 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

_________________________ ( Ju n e 16, 2005) B efo re H U L L , W IL S O N an d P R Y O R , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: R osa E l ena M un er a- M un er a and her m i no r s on , S ebas t i an V ar gas- M un er a2

( pe t i t i one r s ) , w ho a r e na t i ve s a nd c i t i z e ns of C ol om bi a , pe t i t i on f

orr e vi e w of

the f i na l or de rof

the B oa r d of

I m m i gr a t i on A ppe a l s tha ta f f i rm e d the de c i s i on of

the I m m i gr a t i on J udge t o de ny the m a s y l um a nd w i thhol di ng of r e m ova l unde rthe I mmi g r a t i o n a n dN a t i o n a l i ty A c t . W e a f f i rm. I . B AC KG RO UN D P e titio n e r s a tte m p te d to e n te rth e U n ite d S ta te s w ith o u t av a lid v is ain D ecem b er 2 0 0 1 . T h e Im m i g rat i o n an d N atu ral i zat i o n S erv i ce i ssu ed p et i t i o n ers a not i c e t o appe a ra nd c ha r ge d the m w i th r e m ovabi l i ty unde r8 U . S . C . s e c t i on 1182( a ) ( 6) ( C ) ( i ) , f

ors e e ki ng a dm i s s i on i nt o the U ni t e d S t a t e s by f r aud orw i l l f

ul m i s r e pr e s e nt a t i on of

am a t e r i a l f

a c t , a nd 8 U . S . C . s e c t i on 1182( a ) ( 7) ( A ) ( i ) ( I ) , f or appl yi ng for a dm i ss i on w i tho utval i d entrydo cum ent s. P et i t i on er s c on ce ded re m ov abi l i ty and re qu es t ed as yl um , w i thh ol di ng of re m ov al , and p rot ec t i on un der th e C A T . M un er a- M un er a s t at ed thatshe f eare d S ebas t i an w ou l d b e ki dn apped o r they w oul d both be ki l l e d i f

the y r e turne d t o C ol om bi a . M une r a - M une r as t a t e d tha ts he re ce i ved ano nym ou s t el epho ne ca l l s f rom m en w ho threa t ened t o k i dn ap S ebas t i an and w ho dem anded m on eyfr om her. M un er a- M un er a a l so st at ed thatshe w as threa t ened ather hom e by am an w i th a gu n, and, on on e occ as i on , a ki dn ap att em ptw as m ade on S ebas t i an. P et i t i on er s f l ed C ol om bi a a ft erM un er a- M un er a3

r e c e i ve d a n a nony m ous not e tha tthr e a t e ne d tha tS e ba s t i a n w oul d be ki dnappe d or ki l l ed i f M un er a- M un er a di d n otpay 10, 00 0 C ol um bi an do l l ar s. M un er a- M un er a a l s o s t a t e d tha ts he pa rt i c i pa t e d i n s e ve r a l pol i t i c a l c a m pa i gns f orthe C ons e rva t i ve P arty, and thatshe s t op ped h erw ork w hen she began rece i vi ng threa t s t o k i dn ap S e ba s t i a n. T he I m m i gr a t i on J udge f ound M une r a - M une r ac r e di bl e , butf ound tha ts he had fai l ed t o est abl i sh thatthe threa t s a gai nsther w er e on accountof a prot ec t ed gr ound a nd de ni e d r e l i e f . T he B I A a f

f i rm e d the de c i s i on of

the I m m i gr a t i on J udge a nd di s m i s s e d the appe a l . T he B I A f ound tha tpe t i t i one r s ha d note s t abl i s he d a

“ nexu s betw ee n the ac t i on s thatha[d] been t aken agai nstthem i n the pastand that the y f e a rw i l l be t a ke n a ga i ns tthe m i n the f utur e a nd a ny of

the f i ve gr ounds spec i fi ed i n the Im m i grat i on and N at i on al i ty A ct . ” I I . DI S CUS S I ON W e r e v ie w o n ly th e d e c is io n o f th e B I A , e x c e p t to th e e x te n t th a t it e x p r e s s ly a dopt s the opi ni on of

the I m m i gr a t i on J udge . S e e A l N a jj a rv. A s hc r of

t , 257 F . 3d 1262, 1284 ( 11th C i r . 2001) . I ns of a ra s the B I A a dopt s the r e a s oni ng of the I m m i gr a t i on J udge , w e a l s o r e vi e w tha tde c i s i on. S e e P r a do- G onz a l e z v. I N S , 75 F . 3d 63 1, 63 2 (11 th C i r. 19 96 ). W e r evi ew fa ctual det erm i nat i on s of the B IA unde rthe s ubs t a nt i a l e vi de nc e t e s t . S e pul ve dav. U ni t e d S t a t e s A tty . G e n. , 4014

F .3 d 1 2 2 6 , 1 2 3 0 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 5 ) . W e m u s t a f f irm th e d e c is io n o f

th e B I A if

it is

“ supp ort ed by re as on abl e, subst ant i al , and p robat i ve evi dence on the re cord c ons i de r e d a s aw hol e . ” I d. “ U nde rthi s hi ghl y de f e r e nt i a l s t a nda r d of

r e vi e w , the [B IA ] ’ s dec i si on can b e r ever se d o nl y i f the evi dence ‘ com pel s’ a r ea sonabl e f ac t f in d e rto f in d o th e rw is e .” I d . ( c ita tio n o m itte d ) . A n a l i e n w ho a rr i ve s i n ori s pr e s e nti n the U ni t e d S t a t e s m a y appl y f or a s y l um . 8 U . S . C . § 1158( a ) ( 1) . A n a l i e n w ho e s t abl i s he s , w i th s pe c i f i c a nd c r e d ib le e v id e n c e , e ith e r( 1 ) p a s t p e r s e c u tio n o n a c c o u n t o f h is o rh e rm e m b e r s h ip i n apart i c ul a rs oc i a l gr oup, pol i t i c a l opi ni on, orothe rs t a tut or i l y l i s t e d f a c t or , or ( 2) a“ w e l l - f

ounde d f e a r ” tha thi s orhe rm e m be r s hi p i n apa rt i c ul a rs oc i a l gr oup, p o litic a l o p in io n , o ro th e rs ta tu to r ilylis te d f a c to rw ill c au s e f

u tu r e p e r s e c u tio n , is elig ib le fo r a sy lu m . 8 C .F .R . § 2 0 8 .1 3 (a ), (b ); A l N ajjar, 2 5 7 F .3 d at 1 2 8 7 . “ [A ]n ap p lic a n t m u s t d e m o n s tr a te th a t h is o rh e rf e a ro f p e r s e c u tio n is s u b

je c tiv e ly ge nui ne a nd obj e c t i ve l y r e a s onabl e . ” A l N a jj a r , 257 F . 3d a t1289. T o e s t abl i s h a n ex u s b etw een th e st atu t o ri l y l i st ed fact o r an d th e feared p ersecu t i o n th e al i en m u st

“ pr e s e nts pe c i f

i c , de t a i l e d f

a c t s s how i ng agood r e a s on t o f e a rtha the ors he w i l l be s i ngl e d outf

orpe r s e c ut i on on a c c ountof ” the s t a tut or i l y l i s t e d f

a c t or . F or gue v. U ni t e d S t a t e s A tt ’ y G e n. , 401 F . 3d 1282, 1286 ( 11th C i r . 2005) ( quot a t i ons m a rks a n d c ita tio n o m itte d ) .5

S ubs t a nt i a l e vi de nc e s upport s the B I A ’ s f i ndi ng tha tthe pe t i t i one r s a r e not ent i t l ed t o asy l um . P et i t i on er s f ai l ed t o sho w thatthey had been perse cut ed or that th e y h a d aw e l l - f

o u n d e d f e aro f f u tu r e p e r s e c u t i o n . “ ‘ [ P] e r s e c u t i o n ’ i s a n ‘ e x tr e me c onc e pt , ’ r e qui r i ng ‘ m or e tha n af e w i s ol a t e d i nc i de nt s of ve rba l ha r a s s m e ntor i nt i m i dat i on . ’ ” A l N ajj ar , 25 7 F . 3d at12 31 (c i t at i on om i tt ed). “ ‘ [M ] er e hara ss m entdo es no tam ou ntt o p er se cut i on . ’ ” I d. A l tho ug h p et i t i on er s pre se nt ed cr edi bl e e vi dence of threa t s, the evi dence does notam ou ntt o m ore than m er e hara ss m ent . N ei ther M un er a- M un er a or herson w er e harm ed. N or di d p et i t i on er s e s tab lis h th a t th e y h a d b e e n o rw o u ld b e ta r g e te d o n a c c o u n t o f ap r o te c te d g r o u n d . A l th o u g h p et i t i o n ers p resen t ed ev i d en ce o f M u n era-M u n era’s p o l i t i cal act i v i ty, pet i t i on er s pre se nt ed no evi dence thatthe haras sm entthey s uffe re d w as m ot i vat ed by a ny thi ng othe rtha n f i na nc i a l ga i n. T he e vi de nc e doe s notc om pe l the concl usi on thatpet i t i on er s w er e per se cut ed or had a w el l -f ou nd ed fe arof future p e r s e c u tio n o n a c c o u n t o f th e irp o litic a l o p in io n . T he pe t i t i one r s a l s o f

a i l e d t o e s t abl i s h tha tthe y a r e e nt i t l e d t o w i thhol di ng of re m ov al un der the IN A . P et i t i on er s are ent i t l ed t o w i thh ol di ng of re m ov al i f they can sho w thatthei r l i fe or fr ee do m w ou l d b e threa t ened on ac coun tof ra ce , r e lig io n , n a tio n a lity , 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 . M e n d o z av . U n ite d S ta te s A tt’y G 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 ) . “T h is6

s ta n d a r d is m o r e s tr in g e n t th a n th e ‘w e ll- f o u n d e d f e a r ’ s ta n d a r d f

o ra s y lu m . . . . [ B ]e c au s e [ p e titio n e r s ] c a n n o t m e e t th e ‘w e ll- f o u n d e d f e a r ’ s ta n d a r d f

o ra s y lu m , it i s afort i ori that[they] cann otm ee tthe w i thh ol di ng of re m ov al st andard. ” D - M uhum e d v. U ni t e d S t a t e s A tt ’ y G e n. , 388 F . 3d 814, 819 ( 11th C i r . 2004) ( c ita tio n s o m itte d ) . P E T I T I ON DE NI E D.