Opinion ID: 221002
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Hu has satisfied the nexus requirement

Text: In sum, the agency's reasons for denying Hu's applications for asylum and withholding of removal are clearly untenable. The BIA ignored the anti-government political opinion Chinese officials imputed to Hu as a motivating factor for their abuse, and erroneously concluded that Hu's prolabor activities did not constitute an expression of a political opinion. Further, the IJ's conclusion that Chinese officials mistreated Hu because of legitimate prosecution is not supported by substantial evidence. The record compels the conclusion that Hu has satisfied the nexus requirement. Chinese officials mistreated Hu after accusing him of [a]cting against the government and against the [Communist] party, and persisted even after he told them he was just in favor of the legal rights of those laid off workers. This is clear evidence that Chinese officials mistreated Hu on account of a political opinion. See Kebede v. Ashcroft, 366 F.3d 808, 812 (9th Cir.2004) (petitioner satisfied the nexus requirement where soldiers stated that rape was because of petitioner's family's position in prior Ethiopian regime); Borja v. INS, 175 F.3d 732, 736 (9th Cir.1999) ( en banc ) (finding the nexus requirement satisfied where the petitioner had articulated her political opposition to the guerillas and they immediately got mad and pointed a gun at her), superseded by statute on other grounds as stated by Parussimova, 555 F.3d at 739. Accordingly, we hold that any reasonable fact-finder would be compelled to conclude that the past mistreatment Hu suffered was on account of a protected ground.