NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT

___________ N o. 09- 4065

___________ EDN ER PI ERRE, Pet i t i oner

v. A TTO RN EY G EN ER A L O F TH E U N I TED STA TES, R es pondent

____________________________________ O n Pet i t i on forR evi ew of an O r derof the B o a rd o f Im m ig ra tio n A p p e a ls ( A gencyN o. A 088- 244- 476) I m m i gr at i on J udge: H onor abl e A nni e G ar cy

____________________________________ Subm i tt ed Pur s uantt o T hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

J ul y22, 2010 B efor e: SL O V I T E R , J O R D A N and G R E E N B E R G , C i r cui tJ udges

( O pi ni on fi l ed: J ul y26, 2010)

___________ OP I NI ON

___________ P E R C UR I AM E dnerPi err e pet i t i ons forr evi ew of a de ci s i on of the B oar d of I m m i gr at i on Ap p e a l s ( BI A) . F o rth e r e a s o n s b e l o w, we wi l l d e n yth e p e t i t i o n f o rr e v i e w. Pi err e, a ci t i zen of

H ai t i , ent er ed the U ni t ed St at es i n D ece m ber2006. H e appl i edT her e i s no cl eardes cr i pt i on of Laval as i n the r ecor d. I n hi s as y l um appl i cat i on, 1 Pi err e s t at ed thatA r i s t i de, the form erpr es i dent , w as the l eade rof the mem ber s of L a v a la s . A .R . a t 2 7 8 . H e a ls o s ta te d th a t L a v a la s w a s p a rt o f th e c o a litio n g o v e rn m e n t. A .R . a t 2 7 1 . A t h is h e a ri n g , h e te s tif ie d th a t th e g ro u p w a n te d th e re tu rn o f A ri s tid e . A . R . at213. 2 fo r asy lum , w ith h o lding o f re m o v al, an d reli ef u n d er the C o n v en ti o n A g ains t T o rtu re ( C A T ) . H e s t at ed thathe w oul d be per s ecut ed i n H ai t i bas ed on nat i onal i ty , pol i t i cal o p in io n , an d m e m b e rsh ip in a so c ial g ro u p . In M a rc h 2 0 0 7 , h e w a s c h a rg e d a s re m o v a b le as an al i en pr es enti n t he U ni t ed St at es w i thoutbei ng admi t t ed orpar ol ed. H e conc eded r e m o v a b i l i ty. Pi err e t es t i fi ed athi s hear i ng thati n J ul y2006, he w as att acke d i n hi s hom e byt en neighbo rs w ho w ere m em bers of t he L avalas group . A rm ed w i th b at on s, m achine gu ns, 1 and a w hi p, theybeatPi err e, hi s w i fe, and thei rchi l dr en. H e r ecogni zed the l eade rof the att ack a s a man nam ed Sm i th J eunes . H e r eport ed the att ack t o the pol i ce butdi d not name Sm i th J eunes as a perpetr at or . Pi err e s t at ed thatthe gr oup w as al w ay s try i ng t o get him t o joi n them for dem on strat i on s i n the streetbu tthat he di d n ot j oin them becau se theydes tr oy ed pr opertyand bea tpeopl e. H e as s ert ed thathe r ece i ved thr eat eni ng phone ca ll s fro m Jeu n es a fter the att ac k . In S ep tem b er 2 0 0 6 , the g rou p ca m e loo k ing fo r P ierre agai n. W hen theydi d notfi nd hi m athom e, theyatt acke d hi s w i fe a nd chi l dr en and thr eat ened t o ki l l Pi err e. Pi err e di d notr eportthi s att ack t o the pol i ce. I n N ovember 2 0 0 6 , J e u n e s c a m e to h is f ro n t d o o r a n d c a lle d to h im a n d P ie rr e ra n o u t th e b a c k d o o r. T he gr oup beathi s fami l yagai n. A . R . at193- 201.3

T he I J thor oughl ydi s cus s ed the evi dence s ubm i t t ed and c oncl uded thatPi err e had n o t p ro v id e d c o rro b o ra tiv e e v id e n c e o r e v id e n c e o f c o u n tryc o n d iti o n s to su p p o rt h is cl ai m . T he I J det erm i ned thatPi err e had notes t abl i s hed thatthe governm entof H ai t i w as unw i l l i ng orunabl e t o contr ol the man Pi err e named as hi s per s ecut or . T he I J not ed that Pi err e had notgi ven the pol i ce the name of hi s per s ecut oreven though he knew hi m . T he I J al s o found thatPi err e had f ai l ed t o s how thatthe per s ecut i on w oul d exi s tthr oughout H ait i. T h e IJ b eli ev ed that the a tt ac k o n P ierre w as n o t a po li ti ca l act an d that P ierre’s r efus al t o j oi n t hem w as notan expr es s i on of pol i t i cal opi ni on. T he I J concl uded that Pi err e had notcl ai m ed thathe fe ar ed t or tur e byanypubl i c off i ci al . T hus , the I J deni ed Pi err e r el i ef. T h e BI A d i s mi s s e d P i e r r e ’ s a p p e a l . I ta g r e e d wi th th e I J th a tP i e rr e h a d n o ts h o wn that the a tt ac k w as o n ac co u n t of a p rotec ted g rou n d . Itco n clud ed that h is fea r of fu ture p e r s e c u t i o n wa s u n d e r mi n e d b yth e f a c tth a th i s f

a mi l yr e ma i n e d i n Ha i t i u n h a r me d . As forhi s C A T cl ai m , the B I A det erm i ned thatPi err e had nots how n i tw as m or e l i kel yt han notthathe w oul d be t or tur ed byorw i th the ac qui es cenc e of the governm ent . Pi err e fi l ed a t i me l yp e t i t i o n f

o rr e v i e w. W e h a v e j u r i s d i c t i o n u n d e r8 U. S . C. § 1 2 5 2 . To e s t a b l i s h e l i g i b i l i tyf o ra s y l u m, P ierre m u st de m o n str ate e ith er p ast p erse cu ti o n o r a w ell -fo u n d ed fe ar o f f u ture per s ecut i on i n H ai t i on acc ountof r ace , r el i gi on, nat i onal i ty , m ember s hi p i n a part i cul ar so cial gro u p , o r po li ti ca l op inion . S ee V en te v. G o n za les, 4 1 5 F . 3 d 2 9 6 , 3 0 0 (3d C ir .4

2005) . Forw i thhol di ng of r emoval , he mustdemonstr at e thati tw as m or e l i kel ythan not that hi s l i fe w ou l d b e threat ened i n H ai t i on accou nt of on e of these prot ect ed g round s. Ta rr a wal l yv . As h c r o f

t , 3 3 8 F. 3 d 1 8 0 , 1 8 6 ( 3 d Ci r . 2 0 0 3 ) ; 8 U. S. C. § 1 2 3 1 ( b ) ( 3 ) ( A) . To b e e lig ib le f

o r w ith h o ld in g o f

re m o v a l u n d e r th e C o n v e n tio n A g a in st T o rtu re , h e n e e d s to d e m o n s tr a te th a t it is m o re lik e ly th a n n o t th a t h e w o u ld b e to rt u re d if re m o v e d to H a iti. 8 C . F. R . § 1208. 16( c) ( 2) . W e r evi ew the B I A ’ s fac tual det erm i nat i ons underthe s ubs t ant i al evi dence s t andar d. D i a v. A s hcr oft , 353 F. 3d 228, 249 ( 3d C i r . 2003) ( en banc) . T he B I A ’ s fi ndi ngs ar e cons i der ed conc l us i ve unl es s “anyr eas onabl e adj udi cat or w ou l d b e com pell ed to con cl ud e t o the con trary . ” 8 U . S . C . § 1 25 2(b)( 4)( B ). W e exerci se de novo r evi ew overthe B I A ’ s l egal deci s i ons . T ous s ai ntv. A t t ’ yG en. , 455 F. 3d 409, 4 1 3 (3 d C ir . 2 0 0 6 ). P ier re c h a llen g e s th e IJ’ s d e ter m in a tio n th a t h e d id n o t g iv e p o lice th e n a m e o f h is as s ai l ant s and thatthi s hi nder ed the pol i ce i n i nves t i gat i ng the as s aul t . H e cont ends t hat th e p o lice o f

f ice r d id n o t as k P ier re f o r th is in f

o rm a tio n a n d P ier re sh o u ld n o t b e h e ld r es pons i bl e forthe pol i ce of fi cer ’ s fai l ur e. H e poi nt s t o hi s t es t i m onythathad he gi ven the pol i ce the name of the l ead pe rpetr at or , he w oul d have t o pr ovi de the names of the otheratt acke r s w hom he di d notknow . B eca us e the B I A i s s ued i t s ow n deci s i on on t he m er i t s , w e r evi ew i t s deci s i on and notthatof the I J . K apl un v. A t t ’ yG en. , 602 F. 3d 260, 265 ( 3d C i r . 2010) . T he B I A di d notr el yon the I J ’ s det erm i nat i on. M or eover , w e agr ee w ith th e IJ th a t P ie rr e ’s f a ilu re to n a m e S m ith J e u n e s w o u ld h in d e r a n yin v e s tig a tio n .5

Pi err e al s o chal l enges the B I A ’ s det erm i nat i on thathe w as notper s ecut ed for p o lit ica l re a so n s. H e c o n ten d s th e re is n o e v id e n c e to su p p o rt th e c o n c lu sio n th a t h is att acke r s w er e mer el ya gang. H ow ever , Pi err e t es t i fi ed thathe di dn’ tw antt o j oi n the gr oup beca us e of w hattheydi d: br eak a nd s t eal pr operty , beatpeopl e, and cr eat e di s or der and upr i s i ngs . A . R . at195. W hi l e, i n the mostgener al s ens e, a pr efe r ence forl aw and or deroveranar chycan be cal l ed a pol i t i cal vi ew poi nt , Pi err e has nots how n thatthe re c o rd c o m p e ls a f

in d in g th a t h is p o lit ica l o p in io n w a s a p rim a ryre a so n h e c h o se to a v o id Sm i th J eune’ s gr oup and w as thus al l egedl yatt acke d. P ier re a rg u e s th a t th e B IA e rre d in d e ter m in in g th a t h is f e a r o f re tu rn in g to H a iti is di m i ni s hed bec aus e hi s fami l yhas notbeen ha r m ed s i nce he l eft . H e not es thathe had b ee n g o n e f

rom H ait i fo r l ess th an tw o y ea rs at th e ti m e o f h is he aring w h il e the ali en ’s fami l yi n I n r e A - E - M - , 21 I . & N . D ec. 1157 ( B I A 1998) , the ca s e ci t ed bythe B I A , had b ee n saf e f o r ov er f o u r y ea rs. H e f

u rth er a sserts th at th e L av alas g rou p m em b ers w ere s eeki ng onl yhi m . H ow ever , Pi err e t es t i fi ed thatbefor e he l eftH ai t i , hi s fami l yw as beat en tw i ce w hen the gr oup came l ooki ng forPi err e and di d notfi nd hi m . W e agr ee w ith the B IA that h is fam il y ’s co n ti n u ed saf etyu n d erm ines h is cl aim o f f u ture p e rse c u tio n . P ier re h a s n o t sh o w n th a t th e re c o rd c o m p e ls a f in d in g th a t h e h a s a w e llfounded f

earof futur e per s ecut i on. Fur therm or e, beca us e he ha s notm etthe s t andar d for as y l um , Pi err e ca nnotm eetthe hi ghers t andar d forw i thhol di ng of r emoval . G hebr ehi w ot v . A tt ’yG en . , 4 6 7 F . 3 d 3 4 4 , 3 5 1 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 6 ).6

W i th r es pectt o hi s C A T cl ai m , Pi err e ar gues thatthe pol i ce e ffe ct i vel yacqui es ced t o Pi err e’ s t or tur e byfai l i ng t o t ake a nyact i on on the thr eat s agai ns tPi err e. H ow ever , as not ed above , Pi err e fa i l ed t o pr ovi de the pol i ce w i th i nform at i on–Sm i th J eune’ s name and r o l e i n th e a t t a c k

– th a two u l d h a v e b e e n h e l p f u l t o a n i n v e s t i g a t i o n . P i e rr e h a s n o ts h o wn th a t th e re c o rd c o m p e ls a f in d in g th a t h e w ill lik e lyb e to rtu re d if re m o v e d to H a iti . F o rth e a b o v e r e a s o n s , we wi l l d e n yth e p e t i t i o n f o rr e v i e w.