Opinion ID: 3015991
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Determination framework

Text: Section 208(b) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. § 1158(b), provides the Attorney General with discretion to grant asylum to a refugee, with certain exceptions. In general, a refugee is “any person who is outside any country of such person’s nationality . . . who is unable or unwilling to return to, and is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of, that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. INA § 101(a)(42)(A); 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(42)(A). An applicant has the burden to establish that he fits within this definition of refugee. 8 C.F.R. § 1208.13(a). An applicant may establish his refugee status by showing 6 either that he has been subject to past persecution or has a wellfounded fear of future persecution. The persecution, however, must be “on account of” one of the five statutory bases. 8 C.F.R. § 1208.13(b). It is presumed that an applicant who establishes that he suffered past persecution has a well-founded fear of persecution. 8 C.F.R. § 1208.13(b)(1). The government may rebut this presumption, however, by showing by a preponderance of evidence that “[t]here has been a fundamental change in circumstances such that the applicant no longer has a well-founded fear of persecution in the applicant’s country of nationality” or that “the applicant could avoid future persecution by relocating to another part of the applicant’s country of nationality.” 8 C.F.R. § 1208.13(b)(1)(i)(A)-(B). Congress has provided that a person who has been forced to abort a pregnancy or to undergo involuntary sterilization, or who has been persecuted for failure or refusal to undergo such a procedure or for other resistance to a coercive population control program is “deemed to have been persecuted on account of political opinion.” INA § 101(a)(42)(B); 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(42)(B). Similarly, a person who has a well-founded fear that he will be subject to such procedures or will be subject to persecution for resisting such procedures is “deemed to have a well founded fear of persecution on account of political opinion.” INA § 101(a)(42)(B); 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(42)(B). While the decision to grant or deny an applicant asylum is discretionary even if he establishes that he meets the statutory eligibility requirements, the government must grant withholding of removal, with certain exceptions, to an applicant if he demonstrates a clear probability that, upon return to his home country, his 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)(A); 8 U.S.C. § 1231(b)(3)(A); INS v. Stevic, 467 U.S. 407, 430, 104 S.Ct. 2489, 2501 (1984). In harmony with the asylum regulations, the regulations governing withholding of removal provide that an applicant bears the burden to establish eligibility for withholding of removal and if the applicant establishes that he suffered persecution in the past, “it shall be presumed that the applicant’s life or freedom would be threatened in the future . . . .” 8 C.F.R. § 1208.16(b). As in cases involving applications for asylum, the government may rebut this presumption by showing that a change in circumstances has removed the basis for the applicant to have a well-founded fear of persecution or by showing that the threat is not country-wide. 8 C.F.R. §1208.16(b)(1). 7 Under the Convention Against Torture, an applicant is entitled to withholding of removal if he establishes that “it is more likely than not that he or she would be tortured if removed to the proposed country of removal.” 8 C.F.R. § 1208.16(c)(2). The regulation defines torture as “any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted” by a public official for certain purposes. 8 C.F.R. § 1208.18(a)(1). B. The Decisions of the Immigration Judge and the Board of Immigration Appeals The immigration judge recognized two potential bases for Wang’s application for asylum. The first basis was that he and his family had suffered past persecution resulting from his parents’ violation of China’s family planning policies. The second basis was that Wang is a member of a particular social group consisting of “poor and uneducated Chinese who are forced to pay a heavy fine far larger than they can afford” for violating the family planning policies. The heavy fine, the theory goes, forces members of this particular social group to turn to international smuggling operations to search for work in foreign lands and the Chinese government directly and indirectly supports those smuggling organizations. The immigration judge summarily dismissed the second basis due to a lack of evidence that “official Chinese government policy is either to encourage alien smuggling or to support such endeavors.” AR at 136. Accordingly, the immigration judge focused on Wang’s first basis, past persecution due to his parents’ violation of the family planning laws. Wang does not pursue his second argument vigorously in these proceedings, which we note, in any event, insofar as the record here reveals, could not be substantial. Rather, he focuses on his first argument predicated on China’s family planning policies. The immigration judge found that the Chinese government’s actions against Wang and his family amounted to persecution “where the respondent’s mother was forcibly sterilized and where the family’s home was completely destroyed when his parents were unable to pay the family planning fine.” Id. The immigration judge acknowledged that Wang’s parents were the government’s primary targets, but stated that “[t]hese government-sanctioned actions against the respondent’ [sic] parents effectively extended to the respondent, who found himself without a home.” Id. at 136. While the immigration judge was “not prepared to rule that a child may legally take the place of a spouse for all purposes,” the judge did conclude that “there is 8 sufficient evidence in this record to establish that this respondent was directly affected by the Chinese government’s persecution of his parents and can legally stand in their shoes as one who has been persecuted.” Id. Nevertheless the immigration judge did not grant asylum to Wang because the judge concluded that “sufficient adverse factors” weighed against a discretionary grant of asylum. Id. at 137. Those factors included the circumstance that Wang was not fleeing direct persecution, had attended school, the past persecution was not based on physical harm, and he did not leave China to escape future physical harm. Primarily, however, the immigration judge relied on the fact that Wang’s family had hired smugglers to transport him to the United States as the discretionary basis for denying his application for asylum. The immigration judge determined that “[b]y granting asylum to otherwise marginally asylum-eligible aliens, such as this young respondent, such results accomplish little more than to reward the smugglers and provide more incentive for other families to put their children into harm’s way.” Id. at 138.4 Even though the immigration judge’s reasoning led the judge to deny a grant of asylum, the judge determined that Wang had met the burden of proof for a grant of withholding of removal because he had established a “clear probability” of persecution upon his return to China. Inasmuch as a grant of withholding of removal is not discretionary if the statutory requirements are met, the immigration judge ordered that Wang’s removal be withheld. Wang also sought relief under the Convention Against Torture, but the immigration judge did not address this claim due to the grant of withholding of removal. The government appealed and in a June 6, 2003 decision, the BIA sustained the government’s appeal. The BIA concluded that Wang failed to establish either past persecution or a well-founded fear of future persecution based on any one of the five statutory grounds for granting asylum. Id. at 64. The BIA dismissed Wang’s argument regarding his fear of imprisonment upon return to China predicated on 4 The immigration judge indicated that “Wang testified that he was not aware of how much money his parents borrowed to pay the smugglers” but that “the court has adjudicated a great many Chinese asylum cases, including numerous Chinese juveniles, where the smuggling fees range anywhere for $30,000 to $40,000.” AR at 137. 9 his action in leaving the country illegally because he did not prove that “the exit policy in China constitutes punishment for invidious reasons rather than being a law of general applicability.” Id. at 65. The BIA found that the harm that Wang claimed from past persecution stemming from his parents’ violation of the family planning policies was “too indirect to establish past persecution.” Id. Because the Board found the connection to be too tenuous, it agreed with the government that Wang did not prove his eligibility for asylum protection. Without further discussion, the Board also determined Wang to be ineligible for protection under the Convention Against Torture and for withholding of removal. Wang moved for reconsideration on the basis that the BIA failed to address his cross-appeal in its June 6, 2003 decision. The Board granted Wang’s motion for reconsideration, vacated its June 6, 2003 decision and order, and entered a new decision and order dated May 11, 2004. Wang’s petition for review addresses the May 11, 2004 decision and order. In this second decision and order dated May 11, 2004, the BIA again concluded that Wang failed to establish either past persecution or a well-founded fear of future persecution on the basis of any of the five statutory grounds for asylum. The BIA stated that Wang could not stand in his parents’ shoes and rely on the persecution they experienced to support his own asylum claim. According to the BIA, “[w]hile the respondent might be eligible as a derivative of a successful asylum application filed by either of his parents arising from their violation of the family planning policies, we do not find that the respondent can demonstrate persecution in his own right on account of the violation or resistence [sic] to family planning policies.” AR Supp. at 6.5 The BIA also repeated its earlier finding that Wang did not prove that China’s exit control program “constitutes punishment for invidious reasons.” Id. at 6. In addition to its conclusion that Wang could not stand in the shoes of his parents for asylum purposes, the BIA concluded that “[o]n the record before us, we do not find that [Wang] has adequately established that the past harm he experienced rose to the level of persecution.” Id. The BIA pointed out that Wang was not arrested, detained or fined, and that he had no trouble attending school. Rather, 5 AR Supp. refers to the supplemental appendix Wang’s attorneys submitted. 10 the BIA indicated that, “[p]erhaps the worst effect on him of the actions against his parents was the destruction of their home, but he testified the family was able to live in a different home that was not as good.” Id. Finally, the BIA denied Wang’s application for withholding of removal and relief under the Convention Against Torture as it concluded that the record did not establish that if Wang returned to China it is more likely than not that he would be subject to persecution on account of a statutory basis for granting asylum or would be tortured. C. Asylum Eligibility The crux of an asylum determination is whether an applicant has established that he has suffered from past persecution or has a well-founded fear of future persecution on account of one of the five statutory bases: race; religion; nationality; membership in a particular social group; or political opinion. Here, Wang is seeking asylum based on past persecution on account of political opinion or on account of his membership in a particular social group. While he also contends that he qualifies for asylum by reason of his well-founded fear of persecution based on his violation of China’s exit-control policy, the evidence in the record does not compel, or even permit, us to disturb the BIA’s finding rejecting this contention. Thus, we do not address this point further. According to Wang he was persecuted because the Chinese government: (1) imposed a fine grossly disproportionate to their income on his parents for violating the family planning policies; (2) engaged in a lengthy pattern of destruction of the Wang family’s property, including total destruction of the family home; (3) destroyed equipment necessary to the family business; (4) left the family with no choice but to leave their home temporarily to run from the government; (5) caused family separation at several points in time; and (6) refused to acknowledge the payments the family made towards the family planning fine. We will assume without deciding that these acts amounted to persecution of Wang’s parents. Our assumption that the government authorities’ behavior amounted to persecution of Wang’s parents does not end our inquiry. To satisfy the statute, Wang must have suffered from the persecution and the persecution must have been “on account of” one of the five statutory bases for granting relief. The BIA believed that “the statutory ground on which the Immigration Judge found the 11 respondent to have been persecuted is not entirely clear.” Id. at 5. The BIA explained that “it is not certain whether the Immigration Judge concluded that [Wang] was a victim of past persecution as a member of a particular social group or whether he concluded that [Wang] qualified for asylum and withholding under the laws designed to protect those who violate or resist the family planning as one ‘standing in the shoes’ of such person or persons.” Id. But it then went on to explain that it did not find “the ultimate result in this case [would be] different on either reading of the Immigration Judge’s decision.” Id. The BIA concluded that Wang could not stand in the shoes of his parents “where the persecution is claimed to have been experienced by his parents as the result of the family planning policies,” and thus he could not show persecution on account of political opinion. Id. The BIA reached this conclusion by reasoning that the statutory definition of “refugee” on account of a violation of the family planning policies includes only “those who violate or resist the family planning policies (the respondent’s parents in this particular case),” and not the child of such a person. Id. The BIA acknowledged that it has interpreted the statutory definition of refugee to include the spouse of such a person. See In re C-Y-Z, 21 I & N Dec. 915, 918 (BIA 1997). The BIA, however would not interpret the statute to include the child of a person deemed to have suffered persecution on account of political opinion. It is obvious that the facts here are distinguishable from those in C-Y-Z. In C-Y-Z, the applicant sought asylum based on the involuntary insertion of an intrauterine device (IUD) into his wife and on the basis of his wife’s eventual involuntary sterilization. As the BIA explained, the issue in C-Y-Z was “whether the applicant in this case can establish past political persecution based upon his wife’s sterilization.” Id. at 917 (emphasis added). The BIA answered this question affirmatively as it held that “the applicant in this case has established eligibility for asylum by virtue of his wife’s forced sterilization.” Id. at 918 (emphasis added). A child, however, is not a spouse. It should be obvious to anyone that whereas a husband has a direct interest in whether his wife can have additional children, a child is in a very different position as the family planning policies as applied to his parents can affect him only as a potential sibling and not as a parent. In Chen v. Ashcroft, 381 F.3d 221, 225-27 (3d Cir. 2004), we discussed but did 12 not decide whether the BIA’s interpretation in C-Y-Z was permissible and then went on to hold that the BIA’s interpretation of INA § 101(a)(42)(B) not to reach unmarried partners was reasonable.6 It seems to us that in view of Chen we are dealing with an a fortiori case insofar as this case implicates the principles in C-Y-Z. Surely if an unmarried parent cannot obtain relief under C-Y-Z then a potential sibling cannot either as his interest in the birth of a child to his parents is more remote than that of a parent, married or not. Thus, we go on to consider the balance of Wang’s asylum claim. While Wang could not prove persecution on account of political opinion, this failure would not mean that he could not establish that he was persecuted on account of some other statutory reason giving him a basis to seek relief. But in this regard we are satisfied that we cannot disturb the BIA’s ultimate conclusion that Wang has not established adequately “that the past harm he experienced rose to the level of persecution.” AR Supp. at 6. As the BIA pointed out, Wang “was not arrested, detained, or fined in China, and testified that neither he nor his sister had any trouble attending school.” Id. Thus, the BIA observed that the worst effect on him of the actions against his parents was the destruction of their home, but “he testified the family was able to live in a different home that was not as good.” Id. In fact Wang’s claim gets down to an assertion, accepted in these proceedings, that the economic harm to his family by reason of the government’s persecution of his parents caused him to be separated from them for a period of time and later required him to live in a house inferior to that in which he lived prior to the persecution. In considering this harm, we are informed by our recent opinion in Li v. Attorney General, 400 F.3d 157 (3d Cir. 2005). After an extensive review of the cases, we held in Li that “the deliberate imposition of severe economic disadvantage which threatens a petitioner’s life or freedom may constitute persecution.” Id. at 168. As we have indicated we are assuming without deciding that as to Wang’s parents the authorities’ action did constitute persecution and thus meet the Li test. We also are assuming without deciding that in an appropriate 6 In Chen v. Ashcroft, 376 F.3d at 223 n.2, we pointed out that C- Y-Z could be contributing to the destruction of family units and suggested that “it would be useful to study the actual impact of C-Y-Z on family structures.” We do not know whether this study has been or will be done. 13 case persecution of parents can be persecution of a child even though the effect on the child is only a collateral consequence of his parents’ persecution.7 Nevertheless for the child to be persecuted he must show that the persecution threatened his “life or freedom” and in this case Wang has not come close to meeting that standard. Indeed, even the immigration judge who granted Wang relief regarded this case as only marginal. Thus, we need not consider whether the Chinese authorities’ treatment of Wang could be attributed to one of the five statutory bases for granting asylum because he was not persecuted on any basis. Moreover, inasmuch as we have no reason to disturb the BIA’s finding that Wang was not eligible for asylum his contention that the BIA erred in upholding the immigration judge’s exercise of discretion to deny asylum is moot. We realize that our result has the disadvantage of being uncertain in its application as compared to a bright-line rule that persecution only of parents never can be regarded as persecution of a minor child who is a member of the parents’ household or always should be so regarded. Thus, application of the principles here will require that immigration judges and the BIA decide cases on an