FIL ED U.S. COURT OF APPEAL S EL EVENTHCI RCUI T MARCH 2, 2012 J OHN L EY CL ERK [DO N OT PUBLISH]

IN THE UN ITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE ELE VENTH CIRCUIT

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__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Agen cy No. A0 95 -5 42 -7 65

MARIA LUZMILA ARANGO-MOR ENO, ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll Pet it io ne r, vers us U.S. ATTO RNEY GENERAL, ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll Res po nd en t.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Pet it io n fo r Rev ie w of aDeci si on of t he Bo ardof I m

m ig rat io n Ap pe al s

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ (Ma rch 2, 2 01 2) Befo re CARNES, BAR KETT andFAY, Circ ui t J ud ge s. PER CURI AM:Mar iaLuzm il a Aran go -Mo ren o p et it io ns forrev ie w of t he Bo ardof

Im m ig rat io n Ap pe al s’ fin al ord er d en y in g h er re qu es ts forasylu m , withh ol di ng of rem ov al , andrel ie f un de r th e Uni te d Nat io ns Co nv en ti on Agai ns t To rtu re (C AT). Aran go -Mo ren o c on te nd s tha t the Im m ig rat io n J ud ge ’s adv ers e cre di bi li ty de te rm in at io n, wh ic h was affi rm edby the BIA, is no t s up po rte d b y subs ta nt ia l ev id en ce. I. Aran go -Mo ren o, a c it iz enof C ol om bi a, en te redth e Uni te d S ta te s wi th ou t in sp ect io n i n J un e 2 00 1. Sh e fi le d a n app li cat io n fo r as y lu m , withh ol di ng of rem ov al , andCAT rel ie f in Apri l 2 00 2 b as edon he r po li ti cal op in io n. Acco rd in g to th e ap pl ic at io n, s he was a n a ct iv e m em be r of Co lo m bi a’s co ns erv at iv e p arty be fo re en te rin g t he Uni te d S ta te s. Be cau se of h er m em be rs hi p i n t ha t p arty , sh e al le ge d t ha t s he was p ers ecu te d b y th e Rev ol ut io na ry

Arm edFo rces of C ol om bi a (FARC ). An as y lu m

off ic er i nt erv ie wedAran go -Mo ren o i n e arl y Decem be r 20 04 an d co nc lu de d t ha t s he was n ota cred ib le witne ss , andth e Dep artm en t o f Hom el an d Secu rit y th ende te rm in edth atsh e was no t el ig ib le forasylu m . DHS in st itut ed rem ov al pro ceed in gs ag ai ns t h er. Bef or e th e IJ , Aran go -Mo ren o c on ced ed rem ov ab il it y

bu t ap pl ie d fo r as y lu m , withh ol di ng of r em ov al , andCAT rel ie f. 2The IJ d en ie d h er re li ef, fi nd in g t ha t, b as edon in co ns is te nc ie s b etweenhe r

ap pl ic at io n, h er i n- co urt t es ti m on y , andth e d oc um en ts sh e subm it te d, s he was n ot cred ib le . She ap pe al edth e IJ ’s dec is io n t o t he BIA, whi chaffi rm ed . Arang oMo ren o t he n t im el y

fil edth is pe ti ti on forrev ie w.

II. Aran go -Mo ren o c on te nd s t ha t the adve rs e cre di bi li ty det erm in at io n i s n ot supp orte d b y

subs ta nt ia l ev id en ce. Bec au se th e BIA d idno t ex pr es sl y ad op t the IJ ’s dec is io n, we re vi ew on ly the BIA’s de ci si on . See Ru iz v. Go nz al es , 47 9 F .3d 76 2, 7 65 (11 th Cir . 20 07 ). W e rev ie w forsubs ta nt ia l ev id en ce the BIA’s fact fin di ng s, i nc lu di ng anadve rs e cre di bi li ty det erm in at io n, an d re vi ew de no vo it s l eg al co nc lu si on s. D-Mu hu m edv. U.S. Att ’y Gen., 3 88 F.3d81 4, 8 17 –1 8 (1 1t h Ci r. 20 04 ). To es tabl is h acla im

forasylum , an app li can t m us t es tabl is h “ with s pe ci fic an d c red ib le ev id en ce” t ha t s he is a “ refu ge e” u nd er the Im m ig rat io n a nd Nati on al it y

Act. Ru iz v. U.S. Att ’y

Gen., 4 40 F.3d12 47 , 12 57 (11 th Cir . 20 06 ); se e 8 U.S.C. § 1 15 8( b) (1 )(B) (1 ). A refu ge e is , am on g o th er thi ng s: an y pe rs on who is ou ts id e an y co un try of s uc h p ers on ’s nat io na li ty . . . andwho is un ab le or u nwi ll in g t o re tu rnto , andis un ab le or un wil li ng to av ai l h im se lf o r he rs el f of th e p ro te ct io n o f, th atco un try be cau se of p ers ecu ti on or awell -fo un de d fe ar o f pe rs ecu ti on on acco un t o f . . . pol it ic al op in io n. 3Id . § 1 10 1( a)(4 2) (A). An ad ve rs e cre di bi li ty det erm in at io n a lo ne m ay be su ffi ci en t t o s up po rt ade ni al of a sylum . D-Muhu m ed , 38 8 F .3dat 8 19 . Aran go -Mo ren o d idno t cr ed ib ly establ is h h er m em be rs hi p i n t he Co lo m bi anco ns erv at iv e p arty . She tes ti fie d b efo re the IJ t ha t s he joi ne d t he pa rty in 19 85 , bu t s he subm it te d alet te r fro m he r fat he r th atin di cat edth atsh e joi ne d i t in 19 91 . She als o s ub mit te d alet te r fro m th e Co lo m

bi anco ns erv at iv e p arty

th at sa idsh e joi ne d the pa rty in 1 99 4. 1 Nordi d s he cred ib ly establ is h t ha t s he su ffer edpa stpe rs ecu ti on at t he ha nd s of FARC o r th atsh e h as a well -fo un de d fe ar o f pe rs ecu ti on if s he returns to Co lo m bi a. Sh e te st ifi edth at , onApri l 1 5, 2 00 1, s he was k idnape d b y FARC, the ge ta way car cr as he d, an d s he wok e up i n t he ho sp it al with a n i njuredleg . Acco rd in g t o h er t es ti m on y , sh e ch eck edou t o f th e h os pi ta l o ne da y lat er. Bu t s he to ldth e as y lu m

off ic er tha t s he was h os pi ta li zedfor th ree d ay s af

te r th is in ci de nt . The se in co ns is te nc es pro vi de subs tant ia l ev id en ce s up po rti ng th e ad ve rs e cred ib il it y

de te rm in at io n. Th e BIA d idno t err inde nyin g h er ap pl ic at io n fo r as y lu m . Becau se Aran go -Mo ren o i s u nabl e to m eetth e lo wer b ur de n fo r as y lu m , Ara ng o-More no arg

ues that the letter s from her fathe r and the conser

vative par ty wer e 1 improperly

translated a

nd that the prope r translations revea l that there w as no inconsistency betwee n her in-c ourt testimony and the infor

mation presente d in the letters. B ut she did not challeng e the tra

nslation of the letters be forethe I J or the B IA so we c annot consider the alternative translations now. See Sundar v. I .N.S., 328 F.3d 1320, 1323 (11th Cir. 2003). 4sh e al so can no t m eetth e h ig he r st an da rdfor withh ol di ng of r em ov al an d C AT rel ie f be cau se th os e cl ai m s fo r rel ie f are b as edon th e sa m e und erl y in g fa ct s. See Ro dr ig ue z Mo ral es v. U.S. Att ’y Gen., 4 88 F.3d88 4, 8 91 (11 th Cir . 20 07 ). PETI TI ON DENI ED.

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