FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEVEN T HC IRC UIT OC TO B ER 7 , 2005 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. 04- 13486 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ B I A N o. A 79- 400- 488 L U M I N G Y O U , P e titio n e r , 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 n O r de rof

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

_________________________ ( O c t ob e r 7, 2005) B efo re T JO F L A T , D U B IN A an d B A R K E T T , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M:You’s girlfriend is re fer red to a s “Shin” throughout this opi nion. 1 2 L u M in g Y o u , an a tiv e a n d c itiz e n o f th e P e o p le s ’ R e p u b lic o f C h in a , th ro u g h co u n sel , p et i t i o n s fo r rev i ew o f th e B o ard o f Im m i g rat i o n A p p eal s’ ( “B I A ” ) o r d e ra f

f irm in g th e I m m ig r a tio n J u d g e ’s ( “I J ” ) o r d e rth a t d e n ie dh is ap p lic a tio n f

o ra s y lu m . Y ou c l a i m e d tha the f

l e d t o the U ni t e d S t a t e s f orpol i t i c a l a s y l um be c aus e he o p p o s e d th e c o e r c iv e f

a m ilyp la n n in g p o lic ya d o p te db yth e C h in e s e g o v e rn m e n t. P r io rto le a v in g C h in a , h e liv e d w ith h is g ir lf r ie n d , w h o m h e id e n tif

ie din h is appl i c a t i on a nd t e s t i m onya s “ L i u Y e n S hi n, ” butw ho w a s i de nt i f i e d a s “ Y a nqi ng L i u” on adoc um e nte vi de nc i ng a n abort i on a nd on as t a t e m e ntappa r e nt l ym a de by Y o u ’s g ir lf

r ie n d . H e s ta te d th a t h e w a n te dto m a rryS h in , b u t w a s n o t a llo w e dto

1 because he w as bel ow the l egal age und erC hi nese l aw . H e c l ai m ed thathe w as e n t i t l e d t o a s y l u m b e c au s e h e f e a r e dp e r s e c u t i o n o n th e b a s i s th a tSh i n b e c a me pr e gna ntbyhi m a nd unde rw e ntaf or c e d abort i on. Y ou ar gu es thatal tho ug h h e w as no tm arri ed t o S hi n, he shou l d b e grant ed a s y l um be c aus e the onl yr e a s on the yw e r e notm a rr i e d w a s be c aus e of C hi na ' s a ge re stri ct i on s on m arri age, w hi ch “ ar e partof a c oerc i ve fa m i l y pl anni ng po l i cythat C on gres s has cond em ned. ” H e argues that , as the m al e partner of aw om an force d t o u nd er go an abort i on , he i s e nt i t l ed t o asy l um as tho ug h h e w er e aspou se .3

T o the e xt e nttha tthe I J ’ s de c i s i on w a s ba s e d on al e ga l de t e rm i na t i on, re vi ew i s de nov o. M oh am m ed v. A shcr oft , 26 1 F . 3d 12 44 , 12 47 -48 (11 th C i r. 2 0 0 1 ) . 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 yappl yf or a s y lu m . S e e I N A § 2 0 8 ( a ) ( 1 ) , 8 U .S .C . § 1 1 5 8 ( a ) ( 1 ) . A s y lu m m a yb e g r a n te dif 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 . ” Se e I N A § 2 0 8 ( b ) ( 1 ) , 8 U . S. C. § 1 1 5 8 (b )(1 ). A “ refu g ee” i s 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

ap 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 yc o u n tryin w hi c h s uc h pe r s on l a s thabi tua l l yr 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 p er se cu ti on or a w e l l - f ou n d e d f

e ar of p e r s e c u t i on on ac c ou n t of r a c e , r e l i gi on, na t i ona l i ty , m e m be r s hi p i n apa rt i c ul a rs oc i a l gr oup, orp ol i t i c al op i n i on . . . . 8 U . S . C . § 1101( a ) ( 42) ( A ) ( e m pha s i s a dde d) . T he a s y l um appl i c a ntc a rr i e s the bur de n of

pr ovi ng s t a tut ory“ r e f

uge e ” s t a tus . A l N a

jj a rv. A s hc r of

t , 257 F . 3d 12 62 , 12 84 (11th C i r. 20 01 ). “ T o est abl i sh as yl um el i gi bi l i ty bas ed on . . . [a p ro t ect ed g ro u n d ] , th e al i en m u st , w i th cred i b l e ev i d en ce, est ab l i sh (1 ) p ast pers ec ut i on on ac coun tof [aprot ec t ed grou nd ] , or (2) a‘ w el l -f ou nd ed fe ar ’ that [the prot ec t ed grou nd ] w i l l cause f uture per se cut i on . ” S epul veda v. U . S . A tt orney G e n ., 4 0 1 F .3 d 1 2 2 6 , 1 2 3 0 - 3 1 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 5 ) ( q u o tin g 8 C .F .R . § 2 0 8 .1 3 ( a ) , ( b ) ) .4

T o be e l i gi bl e f

ora s y l um , a n appl i c a ntm us ts how tha the i s “ unabl e or un w i l l i ng ” t o return t o h i s c ou ntryof ori gi n “ because of per se cut i on or a w el l -fo u n d ed fear o f p ersecu t i o n o n acco u n to f race, rel i g i o n , n at i o n al i ty, me mb e r s h i p i n ap a rt i c u l a rs o c i a l g r o u p , o rp o l i t i c a l o p i n i o n . ” 8 U . S. C. § 1 10 1(a) (42)(A ). A pers on w ho has und er go ne a f orce d abo rt i on , been pe r s e c ut e d f

orr e f us a l t o unde r go s uc h apr oc e dur e , orothe rw i s e r e s i s t e d ac oe r c i ve popul a t i on c ontr ol pr ogr a m , i s de e m e d t o ha ve be e n pe r s e c ut e d on a c c ountof p o litic a l o p in io n . 8 U .S .C . § 1 1 0 1 ( a ) ( 4 2 ) ( B ) . F u rth e r , “ap e r s o n w h o h a s aw e ll f o u n d e d f e a rth a t h e o rs h e w ill b e f o r c e dto u n d e r g o s u c h ap r o c e d u r e o rs u b je c t to p e r s e c u tio n f

o rs u c h f a ilu r e , r e f

u s a l, o rr e s is ta n c e s h a ll b e d e e m e dto h a v e aw e ll f o u n d e d f e a ro f p e r s e c u tio n o n a c c o u n t o f p o litic a l o p in io n .” I d . B e c au s e Y o u is m a le , th e s e f

ir s t tw o p r o v is io n s a r e in ap p lic ab le to h is s itu a tio n . S e e id . Y ou a l s o c a nnotbe e nt i t l e d t o a s y l um a s S hi n’ s s pous e be c aus e , a s he a c know l e dge d, the yw e r e ne ve rm a rr i e d. R e c e nt l yi n Y a ng v. U . S . A tty . G e n. , N o. 03 -160 68 , sl i p. op . at30 12 n. 6 (11 th C i r. , Jul y 29, 20 05 ), w e s t at ed that“ [t ] he B IA on l y e xt ends re fugee prot ec t i on t o an app l i cantw ho se sp o u se suff er ed force d s t e r i l i z a t i on orabort i on. ” Y a ng a t3012 n. 6 ( c i t i ng I n r e C - Y - Z , 21 L & N D e c . 915, 91 8 (B IA 19 97 ) ( em ph as i s i n o ri gi nal )) . A cc ordi ng l y, w e c on cl ud e thatthe B IA d idn o t e rrin f

in d in g th a t Y o u w a s in e lig ib le f o ra s y lu m a s S h in ’s s p o u s e . M oreover, w e have consi dere d thi s r ec ord and fi nd thatsubst ant i al evi dence5

supp ort s the IJ ’ s f

i nd i ng thatY ou ’ s t es t i m on y w as no tcr edi bl e and i t s f i nd i ng that h e w a s n o t e n title d to a s y lu m o rw ith h o ld in g o f r e m o v a l. P E T I T I ON DE NI E D.