T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on and i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R . 36- 3.

T he pa ne l una ni m ous l yc onc l ude s thi s c a s e i s s ui t abl e f orde c i s i on ** w ith o u t o r a l a r g u m e n t. See F ed. R . A pp . P . 34 (a )( 2). NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T J OS E MAR T I N- OL I VA , P et i t i on er , v. E R I C H . H O L D E R , J r ., A tto rn e yG e n e r a l, R e s p o n d e n t. N o. 10- 72145 A ge nc yN o. A 095- 789- 627 ME MOR AN DU M *

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orR e vi e w of

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the B o a r d o f I m m ig r a tio n A p p e a ls S ubm i tt e d N ove m be r21, 2011 ** B efo re: T A S H IM A , B E R Z O N , an d T A L L M A N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. Jose M art i n-O l i va, a nat i ve and ci t i ze n o f E l S al vado r, pet i t i on s f or re vi ew of the B oard of Im m i grat i on A pp ea l s’ (“ B IA ”) order di sm i ss i ng hi s app ea l fr om an i m m i gr a t i on j udge ’ s de c i s i on de ny i ng hi s appl i c a t i on f ora s y l um , w i thhol di ng of r e m ova l , a nd pr ot e c t i on unde rthe C onve nt i on A ga i ns tT ortur e ( “ C A T ” ) . W e ha ve 

# FI LED NO V 22 2011 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS10- 72145 2 ju r is d ic tio n u n d e r8 U .S .C . § 1 2 5 2 . W e r e v ie w d e n o v o q u e s tio n s o f la w , C er ez o v. Mukasey , 51 2 F . 3d 11 63 , 11 66 (9th C i r. 20 08 ), exce ptt o the ext entthatdefe re nce i s o w ed t o th e B IA ’ s d et erm i n at i o n o f th e g o v ern i n g st atu t es an d reg u l at i o n s, S im e o n o vv . A s h c r o

ft , 371 F . 3d 532, 535 ( 9th C i r . 2004) . W e r e vi e w f or s u b s ta n tia l e v id e n c e f

a c tu a l f in d in g s . Zehat

ye v. G on zales , 453 F . 3d 1182, 1184- 8 5 ( 9 th C i r . 2 0 0 6 ) . We d e n y th e p e t i t i o n f o rr e v i e w. A pa rtf r om c onc l us ory a s s e rt i ons , M a rt i n- O l i vadoe s notm a ke a nya r gum e nt c ha l l e ngi ng the a ge nc y ’ s de ni a l of a s y l um ori t s de ni a l of

hi s “ e qua l pr ot e c t i on” c la im . See M

a r t i n ez - Se rr a n o v . I

NS , 94 F . 3d 12 56 , 12 59 -60 (9th C i r. 19 96 ) ( i ss ues no tspec i fi ca l l y r ai se d and ar gu ed i n a party’ s openi ng bri ef ar e w ai ved). W i th r e s pe c tt o w i thhol di ng of r e m ova l , s ubs t a nt i a l e vi de nc e s upport s the B IA ’ s det erm i nat i on thatM art i n-O l i va fa i l ed t o est abl i sh pastpers ec ut i on or a c le a rp r o b ab ilityo f

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 . See IN S v. E l i a sZac ar i as , 50 2 U . S . 47 8, 48 3-84 (199 2) (“ the st atut e m akes m ot i ve cr i t i ca l ”) ; Sa ntos-L em us v. Mukasey , 54 2 F . 3d 73 8, 74 7 (9th C i r. 20 08 ) ( pet i t i on erpres ent ed no e vi de nc e tha thi s oppos i t i on t o the ga ng’ s c r i m i na l a c t i vi tyw a s ba s e d on pol i t i c a l opi ni on, tha the w a s pol i t i c a l l yori de ol ogi c a l l yoppos e d t o the i de a l s the gang es po used, or thatthe gang i m pu t ed a pol i t i ca l bel i ef t o h i m ). F urther, apart f r om ac onc l us ory a s s e rt i on, M a rt i n- O l i vadoe s notc ha l l e nge the B I A ’ s r e j e c t i on10- 72145 3 o f h is c la im b a s e d o n 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 . See M a rt i n ezSe rr ano , 9 4 F . 3 d at1 2 5 9 -6 0 . A cco rd i n g l y, h i s w i th h o l d i n g o f rem o v al cl ai m fai l s. In addi t i on , subst ant i al evi dence s up po rt s the B IA ’ s deni al of C A T re l i ef be c aus e M a rt i n- O l i vaf

a i l e d t o e s t abl i s h i ti s m or e l i ke l ytha n nottha the w oul d be to rtu r e d a t th e in s tig a tio n o f o rw ith th e a c q u ie s c e n c e o f th e g o v e rn m e n t if r e m o v e d to E l S a lv a d o r . See Si laya v. Mukasey , 52 4 F . 3d 10 66 , 10 73 (9th C i r. 20 08 ). W e r ej ec tM art i n-O l i va’ s c on t ent i on thatthe B IA i m prop er l y c on si dere d a n d a n a ly z e d h is C A T c la im a s b e lie d b yth e r e c o r d . See 8 C . F . R . § 208. 18( a ) ( 1) ( de f i ni ng t ortur e t o i nvol ve “ s e ve r e pa i n ors uf f e r i ng . . . i nf

l i c t e d byora tthe i nst i gat i on of or w i th the consentor ac qu i es ce nce of a publ i c off i ci al or other pers on ac t i ng i n an o ff

i ci al capaci ty” ). F i nal l y, w e r ej ec tM art i n-O l i va’ s r el at ed due pr oc e s s c l a i m be c aus e the B I A c ons i de r e d the c ountryr e porti n the r e c or d. P E T I T I ON F OR RE V I E W DE NI E D.