Opinion ID: 1357743
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: persecution based on a particular social group

Text: Benyamin also argued that he suffered past persecution and faced the threat of future persecution in Indonesia based on his mixed-religion marriage. After considering testimony from Benyamin and Rodriguez, the IJ and the BIA determined that Benyamin did not demonstrate eligibility for asylum on that basis. Benyamin acknowledged that other than having his feelings hurt by having his friends shun him and having difficulties with his family, he has suffered no specific harm in Indonesia due to his marriage to a Catholic. Similarly, the indignities and religious denigration suffered by Rodriquez at the hands of her in-laws and others did not rise to the level of persecution. The BIA aptly noted that the IJ accurately pointed out that [Benyamin] was able to leave and return to Indonesia numerous times without experiencing harm. The BIA explained that [s]uch actions undermine[Benyamin's] claim that he is a `refugee,' where that term is defined as a person who is `unable or unwilling to return' to the country of origin because of persecution. Nothing in the record compels us to conclude that Benyamin established eligibility for asylum on this ground.