FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEV EN T HC IRC U IT MAR 29, 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- 14189 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ A ge nc y N os . A 97- 622- 136 A 97- 622- 137 O V I D I O S A A V E D R A , F A B I O L A C A S T R O , 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

a D e c i s i on of

the B o a r d o f I m m ig r a tio n A p p e a ls

_________________________ ( M ar c h 29, 2007) B efo re T JO F L A T , B L A C K an d H U L L , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M:Asan initi al matter, welac k ju ri sdic tio n toc on sider c laimsa petition er f

aile d toraise 1 before the B IA, even if the B IA addressed the issue su a s po nte . Amaya-

Artunduaga v. U.S. Att’y Gen. , 4 63 F .3 d 1 24 7, 12 50 (1 1th Cir . 2 00 6) . Saave dra

did no t raisehisConventi on Ag ains t To rt urec laim in his a

pp e al totheB IA. Thus , w elac k ju ri sdic tio n o ver t

hat c laim. 2 O vi di o S aa vedra, a C ol om bi an nat i on al , pet i t i on s f or re vi ew of the fi nal or de rof the B oa r d of

I m m i gr a t i on A ppe a l s ( B I A ) , w hi c h a f f i rm e d the I m m i gr a t i on J u d g e ’s ( I J ’s ) d e n ia l o f

h is ap p lic a tio n f

o ra s y lu m a n d w ith h o ld in g o f r e m o v a l. 8 U .S .C . § § 1 1 5 8 , 1 2 3 1 (b )( 3 ). S u b stan ti al ev id en ce su p p o rts th e I J’s a n d B IA ’s 1 de c i s i ons . W e de ny the pe t i t i on. T h e B IA ad o p t ed th e IJ’ s d eci si o n an d m ad e so m e ad d i t i o n al fi n d i n g s; th u s, w e r e v ie w b o th d e c is io n s . Se e Chac on- B ote r o v . U . S. A t t ’ y G e n. , 427 F . 3d 954, 95 6 (11 th C i r. 20 05 ). “ [F ] i nd i ng s of f ac tar e r evi ew ed un der the subst ant i al evi dence t es t , ” a nd w e m ustaf fi rm the deci si on “ i f i ti s s up po rt ed by re as on abl e, subst ant i al , and p robat i ve evi dence on the re cord consi dere d as aw ho l e. ” A nt i po va v . U . S. A t t ’ y G e n. , 3 9 2 F. 3 d 1 2 5 9 , 1 2 6 1 ( 1 1 th Ci r . 2 0 0 4 ) ( q u o t a t i o n s o mi tt e d ) . “ To r e v e r s e th e I J ’s f

a c t f in d in g s , w e m u s t f

in d th a t th e r e c o r d n o t o n ly s u p p o r ts re vers al , bu tcom pel s i t . ” Me ndoz 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 th C ir . 2 0 0 3 ) . A n a l i e n w ho a rr i ve s i n ori s pr e s e nti n the U ni t e d S t a t e s m a y appl y f or as yl um , w hi ch the S ec re t ary of H om el and S ec uri ty or the A tt orney G ener al has3

d i s c r e t i o n t o g r a n ti f

th e a l i e n me e t s th e I N A ’ s d e f i n i t i o n o f a “ r e f u g e e . ” 8 U . S. C. § 1 1 5 8 (a)(1 ), (b )(1 ). A “ refu g ee” i s d efi n ed as: any per son w ho i s out si de any c ou ntryof such pers on ’ s nat i on al i ty or, in th e c a s e o f

a p e r s o n h a v in g n o n a tio n a lity , is o u ts id e a n y c o u n try in w hi c h s uc h pe r s on l a s thabi tua l l y r e s i de d, a nd w ho i s unabl e or unw i l l i ng t o r e turn t o, a nd i s unabl e orunw i l l i ng t o a va i l hi m s e l f or hers el f of the prot ec t i on of, thatcoun trybecause of per se cut i on or a w e l l - f ounde d f e a rof pe r s e c ut i on on a c c ountof r a c e , r e l i gi on, nat i on al i ty, m em bers hi p i n a part i cul arsoci al grou p, or po l i t i ca l opi ni on. 8 U . S . C . § 1 1 0 1 (a)(4 2 )(A ). T o est ab l i sh asyl u m el i g i b i l i ty, th e al i en m u stest ab l i sh (1) pas tpers ec ut i on on ac coun tof a prot ec t ed grou nd , or (2) aw el l -f ou nd ed fe ar th a t ap r o te c te d g r o u n d w ill c a u s e f u tu r e p e r s e c u tio n . 8 C .F .R . § 2 0 8 .1 3 ( a ) , ( b ) .

“ [P ] er se cut i on i s a n extre m e c on ce pt , re qu i ri ng m ore than a few i sol at ed i nci dent s of verbal hara ss m entor i nt i m i dat i on . ” Se pulv e da v . U

. S. A t t ’ y G e n. , 401 F . 3d 1226, 1231 ( 11th C i r . 2005) ( quot a t i ons om i tt e d) . I n Se pulv e da , w e u p h e ld the I J ’ s f i ndi ng the pe t i t i one rha d notde m ons tr a t e d pa s tpe r s e c ut i on, w he r e the p e t i t i o n e ra l l e g e d ( 1 ) s h e r e c e i v e d th r e e th r e a t e n i n g p h o n e c a l l s f r o m E LN m em bers , (2) E L N m em bers pl ac ed a bom b i n a m ai l bo x ather w orkp l ac e, w hi ch expl od ed j ustaf

t erher s hi ftended, and (3) her brother w as threa t ened du e t o h er p o litic a l a c tiv itie s . I

d. S aa vedra t es t i fi ed the E L N threa t ened hi m ov erthe ph on e a nd vand al i ze d h i s d o o r , b u tth e s e p r o b l e m s c e a s e d wh e n h e r e l o c a t e d t o h i s s i s t e r ’ s h o u s e . He4

ha d no othe rpr obl e m s unt i l he ve ntur e d i nt o a n a r e ahe kne w t o be da nge r ous , a nd a gue r i l l a s hota thi s c a ra s he s pe d of f f r om a r oa dbl oc k. A s i n Se pulv e da , th ese c i r c um s t a nc e s do notc om pe l a c onc l us i on the I J e rr e d i n f i ndi ng S a a ve dr adi d not s uf f e rpa s tpe r s e c ut i on. A show i ng of pastpers ec ut i on cr ea t es a pre sum pt i on of a w el l -f ou nd ed fe ar o f f u tu r e p e r s e c u tio n . 8 C .F .R . § 2 0 8 .1 3 ( b ) ( 1 ) . “[ A ]n ap p lic a n t m u s t d e m o n s tr a te th a t h is o rh e rf

e a ro f p e r s e c u tio n is s u b

je c tiv e ly g e n u in e a n d o b je c tiv e ly re as on abl e. ” A l N

a jja rv . A s h c r o

ft , 25 7 F . 3d 12 62 , 12 89 (11th C i r. 20 01 ).

“ [ W ] he r e the a l l e ge d pe r s e c ut or s a r e nota f f i l i a t e d w i th the gove rnm e nt , i ti s not u n r e a s o n ab le to r e q u ir e a r e f u g e e w h o h a s a n in te rn a l r e s e ttle m e n t a lte rn a tiv e in h is ow n c ountry t o pur s ue tha topt i on be f or e s e e ki ng pe rm a ne ntr e s e tt l e m e nti n the U ni t ed S t at es . ” M

az ar i egos v . O

f f i c e of U . S. A t t ’ y G e n. , 2 4 1 F .3 d 1 3 2 0 , 1 3 2 7 ( 1 1 th C i r. 20 01 ). S aa vedra t es t i fi ed the po l i ce qu i ckl y r es po nd ed t o p rot ec thi s apartm entaf t er h is d o o rw a s v a n d a liz e d , a n d h e e x p e r ie n c e d n o p r o b le m s w h ile liv in g w ith h is si st eras l on g as he di d n otventure i nt o g ueri l l a- i nfes t ed ar ea s. S aa vedra further t es t i fi ed thathi s f

ri end, D r. S al az ar , a m em ber of hi s pol i t i ca l m ov em entw ho w as ki dnape d by the E L N i n 1998, c ont i nue d t o l i ve i n ague r i l l as tr onghol d unt i l 2003, s u f f e r in g n o f

u r th e rp e r s e c u tio n . T h e I J ’s c o n c lu s io n th a t S a a v e d r ala c k e d a w e llf ounde d f e a rof f utur e pe r s e c ut i on w a s s uppor t e d by s ubs t a nt i a l e vi de nc e , a nd the5

reco rd d o es n o tco m p el th e co n cl u si o n th atS aav ed ra’ s n o t o ri ety as an act i v i st w o u ld c a u s e th e E L N to ta r g e t h im o n h is r e tu rn to C o lo m b ia . Se e Se pulv e da , 401 F . 3d at12 31 -32 (fi nd i ng because the pet i t i on erdi d n otshow thather not ori ety a s a n a c t i vi s tw oul d l e a d the E L N t o s e e k he routf orpe r s e c ut i on, the r e c or d di d not com pel a f

i nd i ng thatshe had a w el l -f ou nd ed fe arof future pers ec ut i on ). B ec ause the evi dence does notcom pel the concl usi on thatS aa vedra e s t abl i s he d the s t a nda r ds f ora s y l um r e l i e f

, he ne c e s s a r i l y ha s note s t abl i s he d the m o r e s tr in g e n t s ta n d a r d s f o rw ith h o ld in g o f

r e m o v a l. Se e Zhe ng v . U . S. A t t ’ y G e n. , 4 5 1 F .3 d 1 2 8 7 , 1 2 9 2 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 6 ) , ce rt. deni ed , 127 S . C t . 1124 ( 2007) ( s t a t i ng an al i en un abl e t o m ee tthe stri ng entas yl um st andard neces sa ri l y f ai l s the m ore stri ng entw i thh ol di ng of re m ov al anal ys i s) . P E T IT IO N D IS M IS S E D i n p art an d D E N IE D i n p art.