FI L ED

U.S. COURT OF APPEAL S

EL EVENTH CI RCUI T

APRI L 27, 2009

THOMAS K. KAH

N

CL ERK [ D O N O T P U B L I S H ]

I N T H E U N I T E D S T A T E S C O U R T O F A P P E A L S

F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C I R C U I T

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

N o

. 0 8

- 1 4 3 9 8

N o n

- A r g u m e n t C a l e n d a r

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

A g e n c y N o s

. A 9 8

- 7 3 6

- 2 5 4

A 9 8

- 7 3 6

- 2 5 5

H E N R Y L E O N E L F O N T E S M A R T I N E Z

, A N A L U I S A R O D R I G U E Z D E F O N T E S

, A N A V I R G I N I A F O N T E S R O D R I G U E Z

, A N A C R I S T I N I A F O N T E S R O D R I G U E Z

,

P e t i t i o n e r s

,

v e r s u s

U

. S

. A T T O R N 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 o n f o r R e v i e w o f a D e c i s i o n o f t h e

B o a r d o f I m m i g r a t i o n A p p e a l s

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

( A p r i l 2 7

, 2 0 0 9 )

B e f o r e T J O F L A T

, M A R C U S a n d A N D E R S O N

, C i r c u i t J u d g e s

.

P E R C U R I A M :P e t i t i o n e r s a r e n a t i v e s a n d c i t i z e n s o f V e n e z u e l a

. P e t i t i o n e r H e n r y L e o n e l

F o n t e s M a r t i n e z ( “ M a r t i n e z ” ) e n t e r e d t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s i n N o v e m b e r 1 9 9 4 a s a

n o n i m m i g r a n t v i s i t o r w i t h p e r m i s s i o n t o r e m a i n u n t i l M a y 1 9 9 5

. P e t i t i o n e r A n a

L u i s a R o d r i g u e z D e F o n t e s ( “ R o d r i g u e z ” )

, h i s w i f e

, a n d t h e i r t w o c h i l d r e n

, A n a

V i r g i n i a F o n t e s R o d r i g u e z ( “ V i r g i n i a ” )

, a n d A n a C r i s t i n i a F o n t e s R o d r i g u e z

( “ C r i s t i n i a ” )

, e n t e r e d t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s i n J u n e 1 9 9 6 a s n o n i m m i g r a n t v i s i t o r s w i t h

1

p e r m i s s i o n t o r e m a i n u n t i l D e c e m b e r 1 9 9 6

. P e t i t i o n e r s f a i l e d t o l e a v e t h e U n i t e d

S t a t e s b e f

o r e t h e i r g r a n t s o f p e r m i s s i o n e x p i r e d

, s o o n M a y 1 6

, 2 0 0 5

, t h e

D e p a r t m e n t o f H o m e l a n d S e c u r i t y ( “ D H S ” ) i s s u e d n o t i c e s t o a p p e a r

, c h a r g i n g

t h e m w i t h r e m o v a b i l i t y p u r s u a n t t o I m m i g r a t i o n a n d N a t i o n a l i t y A c t §

2 3 7 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( B )

, 8 U

. S

. C

. § 1 2 2 7 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( B )

, a s a l i e n s w h o r e m a i n e d i n t h e U n i t e d

S t a t e s f o r a t i m e l o n g e r t h a n p e r m i t t e d

.

P e t i t i o n e r s a p p e a r e d w i t h c o u n s e l b e f o r e a n I m m i g r a t i o n J u d g e ( “ I J ” ) f o r a

m a s t e r c a l e n d a r h e a r i n g i n J u n e 1

, 2 0 0 5

. A f t e r t h e y c o n c e d e d r e m o v a b i l i t y

,

M a r t i n e z r e q u e s t e d r e l i e f f r o m r e m o v a l i n t h e f

o r m s o f a s y l u m

, w i t h h o l d i n g o f

r e m o v a l

, a n d p r o t e c t i o n u n d e r t h e C o n v e n t i o n A g a i n s t T o r t u r e

. R o d r i g u e z m a d e 2

At the time, Cristini a wa s four y ear s of ag e and V irg inia was five

. 1

Martinez claimed perse cution on acc ount of his political opinion as the basis for reque sting 2

relief

. He rela ted that President Hug o Chavez, who had rec ently been elec ted, was “prose cuting ”

those who had opposed him. Martinez said that he and his immediat e an d extended families had

opposed Chavez; consequ en t l y

, i f he, Rodrigue z and their children returne d to Vene zuela, they

would fac e a subs tantial risk of perse cution at the hands of the Chavez g overnme nt. Martinez

claimed that his pare nts had rec eived verba l and phy sical threa ts, that sever al other family members

2t h e s a m e r e q u e s t f o r h e r s e l f

, V i r g i n i a

, a n d C r i s t i n i a

. ( M a r t i n e z a n d R o d r i g u e z 3

h a v e a t h i r d d a u g h t e r

, A n a C a r i n a

, w h o w a s b o r n i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s a n d t h u s n o t

s u b j e c t t o a n o t i c e t o a p p e a r

. ) M a r t i n e z a l s o s o u g h t c a n c e l l a t i o n o f r e m o v a l u n d e r

I N § 2 4 0 A ( b ) ( 1 )

, 8 U

. S

. C

. § 1 2 2 9 b ( b ) ( 1 )

. 4

T h e I J h e l d a m e r i t s h e a r i n g o n F e b r u a r y 5

, 2 0 0 7

. S h o r t l y a f t e r t h e h e a r i n g

c o n v e n e d

, M a r t i n e z w i t h d r e w h i s a p p l i c a t i o n f o r a s y l u m

, w i t h h o l d i n g o f r e m o v a l

a n d C A T r e l i e f

, a n d p r o c e e d e d w i t h h i s a p p l i c a t i o n f o r c a n c e l l a t i o n o f r e m o v a l

.

H e t e s t i f i e d t h a t n o n e o f h i s d a u g h t e r s s p o k e S p a n i s h

, t h a t i t w o u l d b e a h a r d s h i p

f o r t h e m t o l i v e i n V e n e z u e l a d u e t o t h e p o l i t i c a l u n r e s t t h e r e a n d t h e l a c k o f g o o d

had bee n kidnaped due to their political activity , and that he f ear ed for his family ’s safe ty

.

Rodrigue z, Virg inia, and C ristinia are d er i v at i ve beneficia ries of Martinez’s application 3

for a sy lum.

Section 1229b(b)( 1) states, in per tinent part: 4

(b) Canc ellation of re moval and adjustment of status for cer tain nonperma

nent re sidents

(1) I n g ener al, the Attorney Gene ral may canc el re m o v al o f and adjust to the status of an

alien lawfully admitted for perma nent residenc e, an alien who is inadmissible or defor mable

from the United States if the alien --

(A) has been phy sically prese nt in the United States for a continuous period of not less than

10 y ear s immediately

prec eding the date of

such applica

tion;

(B ) has be en a pe rson of g ood moral cha rac ter during such per iod;

(C) has not been convicted of an offe nse under section 1182(a) (2), 1227(a) (2), or 1227(a) (3)

of this titl e, subjec t to parag raph ( 5); and

(D) establishes that remova l would result in exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to

the alien' s spouse, pare nt, or child, who is a citizen of the United States or an alien lawfully

admitted for pe rmane nt residenc e.

Martinez soug ht canc ellation of remova l based on the prese nce of his and Rod ri g uez’s daug hter,

Ana Carina, who born in and thus a citizen of the United States. Rodrigue z also filed an application

for canc ellation of remova l, but abandone d the application beca use she was ineligible for such relief ;

she could not comply

with § (b)( 1)(A)

. 3s c h o o l s

, a n d t h a t A n a C a r i n a ’ s e d u c a t i o n

, i n p a r t i c u l a r w o u l d

, s u f f e r

. 5

A f t e r M a r t i n e z r e s t e d h i s c a s e f o r c a n c e l l a t i o n o f r e m o v a l

, t h e R o d r i g u e z

p r o c e e d e d w i t h h e r d e r i v a t i v e c a s e f o r a s y l u m

, w i t h h o l d i n g o f r e m o v a l a n d C A T

r e l i e f

. S h e t e s t i f

i e d a t l e n g t h c o n c e r n i n g t h e p o l i t i c a l s i t u a t i o n i n V e n e z u e l a

. S h e

r e l a t e d t h a t h e r a n d M a r t i n e z ’ s p a r e n t s

, a l o n g w i t h o t h e r r e l a t i v e s

, p a r e n t s w e r e

a c t i v e i n t h e D e m o c r a t i c A c t i o n p a r t y

, w h i c h o p p o s e d C h a v e z

, a n d s h e e x p l a i n e d 6

w h y s h e f

e a r e d r e t u r n i n g t o V e n e z u e l a

.

A t t h e c o n c l u s i o n o f t h e F e b r u a r y 5 h e a r i n g

, t h e I J d e n i e d M a r t i n e z ’ s

a p p l i c a t i o n f

o r c a n c e l l a t i o n o f r e m o v a l

, c o n c l u d i n g t h a t M a r t i n e z f a i l e d t o

d e m o n s t r a t e t h a t h i s r e m o v a l t o V e n e z u e l a w o u l d r e s u l t i n a n e x c e p t i o n a l a n d

e x t r e m e l y u n u s u a l h a r d s h i p t o a n y o f h i s d a u g h t e r s

. R e g a r d i n g A n a C a r i n a

, t h e I J

f o u n d t h a t s h e w o u l d n o t e x p e r i e n c e a n e x c e p t i o n a l a n d e x t r e m e l y u n u s u a l

h a r d s h i p a s a r e s u l t o f M a r t i n e z ’ s r e m o v a l f r o m t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s

. T h e j u d g e

t h e r e f o r e d e n i e d M a r t i n e z ’ s a p p l i c a t i o n f o r c a n c e l l a t i o n o f r e m o v a l

.

T h e I J d e n i e d R o d r i g u e z ’ s a p p l i c a t i o n f o r a s y l u m a s t i m e

- b a r r e d

. H e 7

Martinez said that if remove d to Vene zuela, he and Rodrigue z would take their daug hters 5

with them.

I n his asy lum application, Martinez made no mention of a connec tion with the Democr atic 6

Action party

. When asked why

, during his asy lum interview, Martinez did not indicate that he was

a member of any political g roup in Vene zuela, Rodrigue z responde d that they “par ticipated with [t he

party ] but there was not a c onnection with a pa rticular position within the party .”

The I J assumed that Rodrigue z’s application had been proper ly filed along with Martinez’s 7

application. He held that Rodrigue z was not entitled to relief from the time-bar beca use she had not

4d e n i e d h e r a p p l i c a t i o n s f o r w i t h h o l d i n g o f r e m o v a l a n d C A T r e l i e f b e c a u s e t h e

t e s t i m o n y

– o n w h i c h s h e b a s e d h e r c l a i m o f a w e l l

- f o u n d e d f e a r o f f u t u r e

p e r s e c u t i o n a t t h e h a n d s o f t h e C h a v e z g o v e r n m e n t

– w a s n o t c r e d i b l e

. A s s u m i n g

,

h o w e v e r

, t h a t s u c h t e s t i m o n y w a s c r e d i b l e

, t h e j u d g e h e l d t h a t s h e f a i l e d t o

e s t a b l i s h a w e l l

- f

o u n d e d f e a r o f f u t u r e p e r s e c u t i o n

. H a v i n g r e a c h e d t h e f o r e g o i n g

d e c i s i o n s

, t h e I J o r d e r e d p e t i t i o n e r s r e m o v e d t o V e n e z u e l a a n d g r a n t e d t h e m a

v o l u n t a r y d e p a r t u r e p e r i o d o f s i x t y d a y s

.

P e t i t i o n e r s a p p e a l e d t h e I J ’ s d e c i s i o n s t o t h e B o a r d o f I m m i g r a t i o n A p p e a l s

( “ B I A ” o r “ B o a r d ” )

. M a r t i n e z a r g u e d t h a t h e h a d e s t a b l i s h e d t h e b a s e s f o r a s y l u m

,

w i t h h o l d i n g o f r e m o v a l a n d C A T r e l i e f

, n o t w i t h s t a n d i n g t h a t h e h a d p r e v i o u s l y

w i t h d r a w n h i s r e q u e s t f o r s u c h r e l i e f

. M a r t i n e z m o v e d t h e B I A t o r e m a n d h i s c a s e

t o t h e I J f

o r f u r t h e r p r o c e e d i n g s o n h i s m o t i o n f o r c a n c e l l a t i o n

. R o d r i g u e z

, i n h e r 8

a p p e a l

, a r g u e d t h a t t h e I J e r r e d i n f i n d i n g h e r a p p l i c a t i o n f o r a s y l u m t i m e

- b a r r e d

a n d i n c o n c l u d i n g t h a t s h e f a i l e d t o m a k e o u t a c a s e f o r w i t h h o l d i n g o r C A T r e l i e f

.

T h e B I A d i s m i s s e d p e t i t i o n e r s ’ a p p e a l s

. I t h e l d t h a t M a r t i n e z h a d

w i t h d r a w n h i s a s y l u m

, w i t h h o l d i n g o f r e m o v a l

, o r C A T c l a i m s a t t h e F e b r u a r y 5

,

2 0 0 7 h e a r i n g ; h e n c e

, t h e c l a i m s w e r e n o t p e n d i n g b e f o r e t h e B o a r d

. T h e B I A

shown any

extraordinary

circ umstances that would e x cuse the late filing

.

Attache d to his motion wer e news article s depicting the Chavez g overnme nt ’s n ew 8

education policy

. Martinez arg ued that the ar t i cl es showed that his daug hters, espec ially Ana

Carina, would suff

er e x treme ha

rdship if schooled unde r such policy

.

5f

o u n d n o m e r i t i n h i s a r g u m e n t t h a t t h e I J p r o p e r l y d e n i e d h i s a p p l i c a t i o n f o r

c a n c e l l a t i o n o f r e m o v a l

, a n d

, a s f o r h i s m o t i o n f

o r r e m a n d

, w h i c h R o d r i g u e z

j o i n e d

, t h e B I A s a i d t h i s

, i n d e n y i n g t h e m o t i o n :

[ P e t i t i o n e r s ] a r g u e

. . . t h a t t h e V e n e z u e l a n g o v e r n m e n t ’ s i n t e r f e r e n c e

i n t h e s c h o o l s y s t e m a m o u n t s t o p e r s e c u t i o n o f t h e i r m i n o r c h i l d r e n

,

w h o w i l l a t t e n d t h e s e s c h o o l s u p o n a r e t u r n t o V e n e z u e l a

. . . . T h e r e

i s n o e v i d e n c e i n t h e r e c o r d t h a t t h e i m p o s i t i o n o f t h i s p o l i t i c a l a g e n d a

i n t h e c o u n t r y ’ s s c h o o l s w o u l d a m o u n t t o p e r s e c u t i o n

, w h i c h h a s b e e n

d e s c r i b e d a s ‘ e x t r e m e ’ h a r m

. W e a l s o d e n y t h i s m o t i o n t o t h e e x t e n t

[ p e t i t i o n e r s ] a r g u e t h a t t h e i m p o s i t i o n o f t h e

. . . p o l i t i c a l a g e n d a i n t h e

V e n e z u e l a n s c h o o l s w o u l d r i s e t o t h e l e v e l o f e x c e p t i o n a l a n d

e x t r e m e l y u n u s u a l h a r d s h i p a s t o t h e i r U n i t e d S t a t e s c i t i z e n c h i l d

.

T h e B I A d i s m i s s e d R o d r i g u e z ’ s a p p e a l

, a g r e e i n g w i t h t h e I J t h a t h e r

a p p l i c a t i o n f

o r a s y l u m w a s t i m e

- b a r r e d ; s h e h a d n o t c a r r i e d h e r b u r d e n o f p r o v i n g

e l i g i b i l i t y f

o r w i t h h o l d i n g o f r e m o v a l ; a n d t h e r e w a s n o b a s i s i n t h e e v i d e n c e

w a r r a n t i n g C A T r e l i e f

.

P e t i t i o n e r s n o w s e e k r e v i e w o f t h e B I A ’ s d e c i s i o n s

. I n t h e i r b r i e f

, t h e y

c o n t e n d t h a t t h e B I A ( 1 ) e r r e d i n d e n y i n g t h e i r a p p l i c a t i o n s f o r a s y l u m

,

w i t h h o l d i n g o f r e m o v a l

, a n d C A T r e l i e f ; ( 2 ) e r r e d i n d e n y i n g M a r t i n e z ’ s m o t i o n t o

r e m a n d t h e r e m o v a l p r o c e e d i n g s t o t h e I J ; a n d ( 3 ) e r r e d i n d e n y i n g R o d r i g u e z ’ s

c l a i m f o r C A T r e l i e f

.

I

.

W e l a c k j u r i s d i c t i o n t o c o n s i d e r a c l a i m p r e s e n t e d i n a p e t i t i o n f o r r e v i e w

u n l e s s t h e p e t i t i o n e r h a s e x h a u s t e d h i s a d m i n i s t r a t i v e r e m e d i e s w i t h r e s p e c t t o t h a t

6c l a i m

. A m a y a

- A r t u n d u a g a v

. U

. S

. A t t ' y

. G e n

. , 4 6 3 F

. 3 d 1 2 4 7

, 1 2 5 0 ( 1 1 t h C i r

.

2 0 0 6 )

. I n t h e c o n t e x t o f t h i s c a s e

, e x h a u s t i o n r e q u i r e s t h a t t h e c l a i m h a s b e e n

p r e s e n t e d t o t h e B I A

. M a r t i n e z f a i l e d t o e x h a u s t h i s a d m i n i s t r a t i v e r e m e d i e s b y

w i t h d r a w i n g h i s a p p l i c a t i o n s f o r a s y l u m

, w i t h h o l d i n g o f r e m o v a l

, a n d C A T r e l i e f

.

W e t h e r e f

o r e l a c k j u r i s d i c t i o n t o c o n s i d e r t h e m e r i t s o f t h o s e a p p l i c a t i o n s

.

W e l a c k j u r i s d i c t i o n t o r e v i e w a B I A ’ s d e c i s i o n

, w h i c h i s a d i s c r e t i o n a r y

c a l l

, t h a t a n a l i e n w h o h a d a p p l i e d f o r c a n c e l l a t i o n o f r e m o v a l f a i l e d t o s h o w t h e

r e q u i s i t e “ e x t r a o r d i n a r y a n d e x t r e m e l y u n u s u a l h a r d s h i p ” t o t h e a l i e n ’ s U n i t e d

S t a t e s

- c i t i z e n c h i l d

. 8 U

. S

. C

. § 1 2 5 2 ( a ) ( 2 ) ( B ) ( i ) ; M a r t i n e z v

. U

. S

. A t t ’ y G e n

. , 4 4 6

F

. 3 d 1 2 1 9 ( 1 1 t h C i r

. 2 0 0 6 )

. T h u s

, e v e n i f M a r t i n e z h a d s o u g h t r e v i e w h e r e o f t h e

d e n i a l o f h i s a p p l i c a t i o n f o r c a n c e l l a t i o n o f r e m o v a l

, w e a r e p r e c l u d e d f r o m

r e v i e w i n g t h e d e n i a l

.

W e a l s o l a c k j u r i s d i c t i o n t o r e v i e w t h e B I A ’ s d e t e r m i n a t i o n t h a t a n a s y l u m

a p p l i c a t i o n i s t i m e

- b a r r e d

. 8 U

. S

. C

. § 1 1 5 8 ( a ) ( 3 ) ; S a n c h e z J i m e n e z v

. U

. S

. A t t ’ y

G e n

. , 4 9 2 F

. 3 d 1 2 2 3

, 1 2 3 1 ( 1 1 t h C i r

. 2 0 0 7 )

. T h e a p p l i c a t i o n s o f R o d r i g u e z

,

V i r g i n i a

, a n d C r i s t i n i a w e r e b a s e d o n M a r t i n e z ’ s a p p l i c a t i o n ; t h e y w e r e d e r i v a t i v e

b e n e f i c i a r i e s t h e r e o f

. T h e s e a p p l i c a t i o n s

, l i k e M a r t i n e z ’ s

, w e r e t i m e

- b a r r e d ; h e n c e

,

a s i n M a r t i n e z ’ s c a s e

, w e l a c k j u r i s d i c t i o n t o c o n s i d e r t h e m

.

F i n a l l y

, t h e r e a r e n o d e r i v a t i v e b e n e f i t s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h a g r a n t o f

w i t h h o l d i n g o f r e m o v a l b e c a u s e

, u n l i k e t h e a s y l u m s t a t u t e

, t h e w i t h h o l d i n g s t a t u t e

7c o n t a i n s n o m e n t i o n o f d e r i v a t i v e r i g h t s

. D e l g a d o v

. U

. S

. A t t ' y G e n

. , 4 8 7 F

. 3 d

8 5 5

, 8 6 2 ( 1 1 t h C i r

. 2 0 0 7 )

. T h e C A T r e g u l a t i o n l i k e w i s e c o n t a i n s n o m e n t i o n o f

d e r i v a t i v e r i g h t s ; i t l i m i t s t h e a p p l i c a n t a n d s e e m i n g l y f o r e c l o s e s a d e r i v a t i v e

c l a i m

. 8 C

. F

. R

. § 2 0 8

. 1 6 ( c ) ( 2 )

, ( 4 ) ; s e e a l s o O f o r j i v

. A s h c r o f

t

, 3 5 4 F

. 3 d 6 0 9

, 6 1 5

( 7 t h C i r

. 2 0 0 3 ) ( h o l d i n g t h a t C A T r e l i e f d o e s n o t p r o v i d e d e r i v a t i v e b e n e f i t s ) ; C f

.

D e l g a d o

, 4 8 7 F

. 3 d a t 8 6 2

. A c c o r d i n g l y

, b e c a u s e V i r g i n i a a n d C r i s t i n i a h a v e n o

d e r i v a t i v e b e n e f

i t s t o w i t h h o l d i n g o f r e m o v a l o r C A T r e l i e f

, o n l y t h e i r m o t h e r

,

R o d r i g u e z

, c a n p e t i t i o n t h i s c o u r t f o r r e v i e w o f h e r a p p l i c a t i o n f o r w i t h h o l d i n g o f

r e m o v a l a n d C A T r e l i e f

. B e f o r e p r o c e e d i n g t o R o d r i g u e z ’ s a p p l i c a t i o n

, h o w e v e r

,

w e c o n s i d e r M a r t i n e z ’ s a p p e a l o f t h e B I A ’ s d e n i a l o f h i s m o t i o n t o r e m a n d

.

I I

.

T h e s u b s t a n c e o f a m o t i o n t o r e m a n d d e t e r m i n e s h o w w e r e v i e w i t o n

a p p e a l

. A l N a

j j a r v

. A s h c r o f

t

, 2 5 7 F

. 3 d 1 2 6 2

, 1 3 0 1 ( 1 1 t h C i r

. 2 0 0 1 )

. W e t r e a t a

m o t i o n t o r e m a n d a s p a r t o f t h e p e t i t i o n e r ’ s a p p e a l t o t h e B I A i f i t m e r e l y r e f l e c t s

t h e d e s i r e d r e m e d y

. I d

. O n t h e o t h e r h a n d

, w h e n a m o t i o n t o r e m a n d s e e k s

, a s

h e r e

, t o i n t r o d u c e e v i d e n c e n o t p r e v i o u s l y p r e s e n t e d

, t h e m o t i o n i s g e n e r a l l y

t r e a t e d a s a m o t i o n t o r e o p e n u n d e r 8 C

. F

. R

. § 1 0 0 3

. 2 ( c )

. A s s a ' a d v

. U

. S

. A t t ' y

G e n

. , 3 3 2 F

. 3 d 1 3 2 1

, 1 3 4 1 ( 1 1 t h C i r

. 2 0 0 3 )

. W e r e v i e w t h e B I A ’ s d e n i a l o f a

m o t i o n t o r e o p e n f

o r a n a b u s e o f d i s c r e t i o n r e g a r d l e s s o f t h e u n d e r l y i n g b a s i s o f

t h e a l i e n ' s r e q u e s t f

o r r e l i e f

. A l N a j j a r

, 2 5 7 F

. 3 d a t 1 3 0 2

. ( e m p h a s i s a d d e d )

.

8M o r e o v e r

, 8 U

. S

. C

. § 1 2 5 2 ( a ) ( 1 ) g i v e s u s t h e i m p l i c i t j u r i s d i c t i o n t o r e v i e w a n

o r d e r d e n y i n g a m o t i o n t o r e o p e n

. A l i v

. U

. S

. A t t ’ y G e n

. , 4 4 3 F

. 3 d 8 0 4

, 8 0 9 n

. 2

( 1 1 t h C i r

. 2 0 0 6 )

.

P r e l i m i n a r i l y

, a l t h o u g h n o t e x p r e s s l y a d d r e s s e d b y t h e B I A o r t h e A t t o r n e y

G e n e r a l i n h i s b r i e f o n a p p e a l

, M a r t i n e z ’ s m o t i o n t o r e m a n d w a s i n t h e n a t u r e o f a

m o t i o n t o r e o p e n b e c a u s e h e r e q u e s t e d a d d i t i o n a l p r o c e e d i n g s t o p r e s e n t n e w

e v i d e n c e r e g a r d i n g h i s e l i g i b i l i t y f o r c a n c e l l a t i o n o f r e m o v a l a n d t h e e l i g i b i l i t y o f

R o d r i g u e z

, V i r g i n i a

, a n d C r i s t i n i a f o r a s y l u m a n d s i m i l a r r e l i e f

. A s s a ' a d

, 3 3 2 F

. 3 d

a t 1 3 4 1

. C o n s e q u e n t l y

, c o n t r a r y t o t h e A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l ’ s p o s i t i o n

, w e h a v e

j u r i s d i c t i o n t o r e v i e w t h e B I A ’ s d e n i a l o f M a r t i n e z ’ s m o t i o n t o r e m a n d

, t o t h e

e x t e n t i t i s t r e a t e d a s a m o t i o n t o r e o p e n

. A l i

, 4 4 3 F

. 3 d a t 8 0 9 n

. 2

.

T h e “ A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l h a s ‘ b r o a d d i s c r e t i o n ’ t o g r a n t o r d e n y s u c h

m o t i o n s

. ” A l N a

j j a r

, 2 5 7 F

. 3 d a t 1 3 0 1

. A m o t i o n t o r e o p e n m a y b e g r a n t e d i f t h e

a l i e n p r e s e n t s n e w e v i d e n c e t h a t i s m a t e r i a l a n d w a s n o t a v a i l a b l e a n d c o u l d n o t

h a v e b e e n d i s c o v e r e d o r p r e s e n t e d a t t h e r e m o v a l h e a r i n g

. S e e 8 C

. F

. R

. § §

1 0 0 3

. 2 ( c ) ( 1 )

, 1 0 0 3

. 2 3 ( b ) ( 3 )

. T h e m o v a n t h a s t h e “ h e a v y b u r d e n ” o f p r e s e n t i n g

e v i d e n c e w h i c h w o u l d l i k e l y c h a n g e t h e r e s u l t i n t h e c a s e

. A l i

, 4 4 3 F

. 3 d a t 8 1 3

.

T h e r e i s n o t h i n g i n t h e r e c o r d h e r e t h a t c o u l d l e a d u s t o h o l d t h a t t h e B I A

a b u s e d i t s d i s c r e t i o n i n d e n y i n g M a r t i n e z ’ s m o t i o n t o r e m a n d

. T h e B o a r d ’ s

f i n d i n g t h a t t h e n e w e v i d e n c e

– i n c l u d i n g f o u r n e w s a r t i c l e s

– d i d n o t s h o w a p r i m a

9f

a c i e c a s e f

o r r e l i e f w a s n e i t h e r a r b i t r a r y n o r c a p r i c i o u s b e c a u s e s i m i l a r e v i d e n c e

w a s p r e v i o u s l y s u b m i t t e d a n d d e e m e d n o t t o p r e s e n t a n e x c e p t i o n a l o r e x t r e m e l y

u n u s u a l h a r d s h i p a s t o A n a C a r i n a

.

V i r g i n i a a n d C r i s t i n i a h a v e n o f r e e

- s t a n d i n g a p p l i c a t i o n s f o r a s y l u m

,

w i t h h o l d i n g o f r e m o v a l

, o r C A T r e l i e f p e n d i n g ; h e n c e

, t h e n e w e v i d e n c e h a s n o

b e a r i n g o n t h e m

. L a s t l y

, a s t o R o d r i g u e z

, t h e n e w e v i d e n c e d i d n o t e s t a b l i s h a n y

p r i m a f a c i e e l i g i b i l i t y f

o r r e l i e f b e c a u s e i t d o e s n o t a p p l y t o h e r

. W e t u r n n o w t o

R o d r i g u e z ’ s c l a i m f

o r C A T r e l i e f

.

I I I

.

U n l i k e t h e d i s c r e t i o n a r y a u t h o r i t y t o g r a n t a s y l u m

, t h e A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l i s

r e q u i r e d t o g r a n t w i t h h o l d i n g o f r e m o v a l t o a n a l i e n w h o e s t a b l i s h e s t h a t h e r l i f e o r

f r e e d o m w o u l d b e t h r e a t e n e d o n a c c o u n t o f r a c e

, r e l i g i o n

, n a t i o n a l i t y

, m e m b e r s h i p

i n a p a r t i c u l a r s o c i a l g r o u p

, o r p o l i t i c a l o p i n i o n

. M e n d o z a v

. U

. S

. A t t ’ y G e n

. , 3 2 7

F

. 3 d 1 2 8 3

, 1 2 8 7 ( 1 1 t h C i r

. 2 0 0 3 ) ; s e e a l s o I N § 2 4 1 ( b ) ( 3 )

, 8 U

. S

. C

. § 1 2 3 1 ( b ) ( 3 )

.

T h e a l i e n b e a r s t h e b u r d e n o f d e m o n s t r a t i n g t h a t s h e m o r e

- l i k e l y

- t h a n

- n o t w o u l d

b e p e r s e c u t e d o r t o r t u r e d u p o n r e t u r n i n g t o t h e c o u n t r y i n q u e s t i o n

. M e n d o z a

, 3 2 7

F

. 3 d a t 1 2 8 7

. E v i d e n c e o f p a s t p e r s e c u t i o n o n a c c o u n t o f a p r o t e c t e d g r o u n d

c r e a t e s a p r e s u m p t i o n t h a t h e r l i f e o r f r e e d o m w o u l d b e t h r e a t e n e d u p o n r e t u r n t o

h i s c o u n t r y

, b u t t h i s p r e s u m p t i o n m a y b e r e b u t t e d i f c o u n t r y c o n d i t i o n s h a v e

f u n d a m e n t a l l y c h a n g e d o r t h e p e r s o n c o u l d s a f e l y r e l o c a t e w i t h i n t h e c o u n t r y

. 8

10C

. F

. R

. § 2 0 8

. 1 6 ( b ) ( 1 ) ( I )

.

I f

, h o w e v e r

, t h e a l i e n d o e s n o t e s t a b l i s h p a s t p e r s e c u t i o n

, s h e b e a r s t h e

b u r d e n o f s h o w i n g t h a t i t i s m o r e l i k e l y t h a n n o t t h a t ( 1 ) s h e w o u l d b e p e r s e c u t e d

i n t h e f u t u r e o n a c c o u n t o f o n e o f t h e f i v e e n u m e r a t e d g r o u n d s f o r a s y l u m ; a n d ( 2 )

s h e c o u l d n o t a v o i d t h i s f u t u r e t h r e a t t o h e r l i f

e o r f r e e d o m b y r e l o c a t i n g

, i f u n d e r

a l l t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s i t w o u l d b e r e a s o n a b l e t o e x p e c t r e l o c a t i o n

. S e e 8 C

. F

. R

.

§ 2 0 8

. 1 6 ( b ) ( 2 ) ; s e e a l s o M e n d o z a

, 3 2 7 F

. 3 d a t 1 2 8 7

.

A l t h o u g h t h e t e r m i s n o t d e f i n e d b y t h e I N A

, w e h a v e h e l d t h a t “ p e r s e c u t i o n

i s a n e x t r e m e c o n c e p t

, r e q u i r i n g m o r e t h a n a f e w i s o l a t e d i n c i d e n t s o f v e r b a l

h a r a s s m e n t o r i n t i m i d a t i o n

, a n d t h a t 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 t o

p e r s e c u t i o n

. ” S e p u l v e d a v

. U

. S

. A t t ’ y G e n

. , 4 0 1 F

. 3 d 1 2 2 6

, 1 2 3 1 ( 1 1 t h C i r

. 2 0 0 5 )

( q u o t a t i o n s o m i t t e d )

. “ N o t a l l e x c e p t i o n a l t r e a t m e n t i s p e r s e c u t i o n

. ” G o n z a l e z v

.

R e n o

, 2 1 2 F

. 3 d 1 3 3 8

, 1 3 5 5 ( 1 1 t h C i r

. 2 0 0 0 )

.

T o b e e n t i t l e d t o r e l i e f u n d e r t h e C A T

, a n a p p l i c a n t m u s t e s t a b l i s h t h a t i t i s

m o r e l i k e l y t h a n n o t t h a t s h e w o u l d b e t o r t u r e d a t t h e i n s t i g a t i o n o f o r w i t h t h e

c o n s e n t o r a c q u i e s c e n c e o f t h e g o v e r n m e n t

. 8 C

. F

. R

. § 2 0 8

. 1 6 ( c ) ( 2 )

.

O u r r e v i e w o f t h e r e c o r d c o n v i n c e s u s t h a t t h e d e c i s i o n d e n y i n g R o d r i g u e z

C A T r e l i e f i s s u p p o r t e d b y s u b s t a n t i a l e v i d e n c e

. A s t h e I J a n d t h e B o a r d p r o p e r l y

c o n c l u d e d

, R o d r i g u e z f a i l e d t o e s t a b l i s h p a s t p e r s e c u t i o n

, a s s h e w a s n o t t h e v i c t i m

o f a n y t h r e a t s o r v i o l e n c e a n d t h a t s h e f a i l e d t o e s t a b l i s h a c l e a r p r o b a b i l i t y t h a t s h e

11w o u l d b e s u b j e c t e d t o f

u t u r e p e r s e c u t i o n

, a s o t h e r f a m i l y m e m b e r s h a v e e s c a p e d

h a r m i n V e n e z u e l a

. R o d r i g u e z w a s n e v e r t o r t u r e d o r h a r m e d b y t h e V e n e z u e l a n

g o v e r n m e n t

, a n d s h e p r o v i d e d n o e v i d e n c e i n d i c a t i n g t h a t s h e w o u l d b e t o r t u r e d i f

r e t u r n e d t o V e n e z u e l a

.

F o r t h e f o r e g o i n g r e a s o n s

, t h e p e t i t i o n f o r r e v i e w i s

D E N I E D

.

12