Opinion ID: 58225
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Torres’s Withholding of Removal and CAT Claims

Text: To qualify for withholding of removal under the INA, an alien must show that his or her life or freedom would be threatened on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. INA § 241(b)(3), 8 U.S.C. § 1231(b)(3). The evidentiary burden for withholding of removal is greater than that imposed for asylum; accordingly, if an alien has not met the well-founded fear standard for asylum, he generally cannot meet the standard for withholding of removal. Al Najjar, 257 F.3d at 1292-93. Here, the IJ denied Torres’s application for withholding of removal based solely on the asylum findings discussed above. Thus, on remand, the IJ should make independent findings regarding Torres’s application for withholding of removal.3 We grant the petition, vacate the denial of Torres’s application for asylum and for withholding of removal, and remand the case to the BIA to remand to the IJ for further proceedings. PETITION GRANTED; VACATED AND REMANDED. 3 Torres only mentions the IJ’s denial of CAT relief in passing in his brief before this Court. When a party fails to offer argument on an issue, or mentions it only in passing references, the issue is deemed abandoned. See Sepulveda, 401 F.3d at 1228 n.2. As such, Torres has abandoned any challenge to the IJ’s denial of CAT relief. 9