Opinion ID: 769297
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: General Framework

Text: 12 The Attorney General may, in her discretion, grant asylum to an applicant determined to be a refugee, within the meaning of section 101(a)(42)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. S 1101(a)(42)(A). Refugee status is established by evidence that an applicant is unable or unwilling to return to his home country because of a well-founded fear of future persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. See INS v. Cardoza-Fonseca, 480 U.S. 421, 428 (1987); Singh v. Ilchert, 63 F.3d 1501, 1505 (9th Cir. 1995). A well-founded fear of future persecution may be established by proving either past persecution or good reason to fear future persecution. 8 Vilorio-Lopezv. INS, 852 F.2d 1137, 1140 (9th Cir. 1988). If the applicant establishes statutory eligibility for asylum, the Attorney General must, by a proper exercise of her discretion, determine whether to grant that relief. 13 To be eligible for a grant of asylum, the applicant must simply demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution. He need not prove, however, that it is more likely than not that his fear will be realized. As the Supreme Court put it, [o]ne can certainly have a well-founded fear of an event happening when there is less than a 50% chance of the occurrence taking place. As one leading authority has pointed out: `Let us . . . presume that it is known that in the applicant's country of origin every tenth adult male person is either put to death or sent to some remote labor camp. . . . In such a case it would be only too apparent that anyone who has managed to escape from the country in question will have `well-founded fear of being persecuted' upon his eventual return.'  INS v. Cardoza-Fonseca, 480 U.S. 421, 431 (1987) (quoting 1 A. Grahl-Madsen, The Status of Refugees in International Law 180 (1966)). In contrast, a more stringent standard applies to requests for withholding of deportation, in part because an applicant who meets that standard is not only eligible for, but entitled to, such relief. The Attorney General is required to withhold deportation of an applicant who can establish a clear probability that he would be persecuted were he to be deported to his home country. See Korablina v. INS, 158 F.3d 1038, 1045-46 (9th Cir. 1998). In order to demonstrate a clear probability of persecution, a petitioner must prove that it is `more likely than not'  that he will be persecuted on account of a statutorily-protected ground. Id. at 1046. 14 The applicant bears the burden of proof with respect to eligibility for asylum and withholding of deportation. 8 C.F.R. SS 208.13 (8), 208.16(b). Specific corroborating documentation is not required, however, for an applicant to meet his burden. See Sangha v. INS, 103 F.3d 1482, 1487 (9th Cir. 1997). Rather, because refugee status is inherently difficult to prove and documentation hard to obtain, an applicant may establish his case through testimony alone. See Sangha, 103 F.3d at 1487; Garrovillas v. INS, 156 F.3d 1010, 1016 (9th Cir. 1998).