FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEVEN T HC IRC UIT AUG 6, 2007 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- 16585 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ A ge nc yN os . A 96- 271- 426 A 96- 271- 427 G U S T A V O A D O L F O R E S T R E P O
- V E L A S Q U E Z , L U Z A L B A B E D O Y A B E D O Y A , A L E J A N D R A R E S T R E P O B E D O Y A , S A N T I A G O R E S T R E P O B E D O Y 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 do f I m m ig r a tio n A p p e a ls

_________________________ ( A u gu s t 6, 2007) B efo re T JO F L A T , B IR C H an dP R Y O R , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M:2

G ust avo A do l fo R es tre po -V el as qu ez , a nat i ve and ci t i ze n o f C ol om bi a, pet i t i on s f

or re vi ew of the order of the B oard of Im m i grat i on A pp ea l s thatdeni ed h is m o tio n to r e o p e n h is ap p lic a tio n f o ra s y lu m a n dw ith h o ld in g o f r e m o v a l. R e s tr e p o - V e la s q u e z a r g u e s th a t th e B I A ab u s e dits d is c r e tio n w h e n it d e n ie dh is
m ot i on t o r e ope n w i thoutc ons i de r i ng the ne w l yof f e r e d e vi de nc e . B e c aus e the
e v id e n c e o f

f e r e dw a s n o t m a te r ia l, w e d e n yth e p e titio n . T h e IJ d en i edR estrep o -V el asq u ez’ s ap p l i cat i o n fo r asyl u m b ecau se ext ort i on , no tpo l i t i ca l pers ec ut i on , m ot i vat ed the i nci dent s R es tre po -V el as qu ez al l eged. R es tre po -V el as qu ez fi l ed tw o m ot i on s t o reopen al l egi ng he had n ew
e v id e n c e th a t e s tab lis h e dth a t h e w o u ldb e p e r s e c u te dif r e tu rn e dto C o lo m b ia
. B o th w e r e d e n ie d . R e s tr e p o - V e la s q u e z ap p e a ls th e d e n ia l o f th e s e c o n dm o tio n to
r e o p e n . W e r evi ew the deni alof a m ot i on t o reopen rem ov alproceedi ng s f or an
ab u s e o f d is c r e tio n . A li v . U .S . A tt’yG e n ., 4 4 3 F .3 d8 0 4 , 8 0 8 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 6 )
.

“ O urr e vi e w i s l i m i t e d t o de t e rm i ni ng w he the rthe r e ha s be e n an e xe r c i s e of adm i ni strat i ve di sc re t i on and w hether the m a[ nn ] erof exer ci se has bee n arbi trary
or capri ci ou s. ” I d. (i nt ernal qu ot at i on m arks and ci t at i on s om i tt ed). T he B IA m ay gr a ntam ot i on t o r e ope n i f the m ovantpr e s e nt s ne w e vi de nc e tha ti s m a t e r i a l a nd
w as no tavai l abl e and coul d n othave been di sc ov er ed or pres ent ed atthe re m ov al h e a r in g . S e e 8 C .F .R . § 1 0 0 3 .2 ( c ) ( 1 ) . A p e titio n e ris o r d in ar ilyp e rm itte dto f ile3

on e m ot i on t o reopen w i thi n 9 0 d ay s of the dat e of the fi nal order of re m ov al , se e 8 U .S .C . § 1 2 2 9 a ( c ) ( 7 ) ( C ) ( i) , b u t th e tim e a n dn u m e r ic a l lim ita tio n s d o n o t ap p lyto the f i l i ng of am ot i on t o r e ope n ba s e d on c hange d c ountryc ondi t i ons i f the m ot i on i s s upport e d bye vi de nc e tha ti s “ m a t e r i a l a nd w a s nota va i l abl e a nd w oul d not h a v e b e e n d is c o v e r e do rp r e s e n te da t th e p r e v io u s p r o c e e d in g ,” 8 U .S .C . § 12 29 a( c) (7)( C )( i i ); se e a l so 8 C
. F
. R
. § 1 00 3. 2(c) (3)( i i ). T h e B I A d idn o t ab u s e its d is c r e tio n w h e n it d e n ie dth e s e c o n dm o tio n to
re op en. C on traryt o R es tre po -V el as qu ez ’ s c on t ent i on , the B IA consi dere d the new evi dence and foun d thati tw as no tm at er i albecause i tdi d n otes t abl i sh that R e s tr e p o - V e la s q u e z w a s b e in g p e r s e c u te do n a c c o u n t o f ap r o te c te dg r o u n d . W e agre e. N on e of the new evi dence es t abl i shes a c on nect i on betw ee n the al l eged p e r s e c u tio n a n dR e s tr e p o - V e la s q u e z ’s p o litic a l o p in io n . R e s te p o - V e la s q u e z ’s p e titio n f o rr e v ie w is D E N I E D .