Opinion ID: 3040313
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: “Other Resistance To A Coercive Population

Text: Program” [2] Lin argues that he was “persecuted on account of his political opinion” because he resisted the coercive population control policies of the Chinese government. In order to fit within the category of “other resistance to a coercive population program,” an applicant must show that (1) the government was enforcing a coercive population program at the time of the pertinent events, and (2) the applicant resisted the program. 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(42)(B). Coercive population control programs often vary depending on the country, city, or even local community. In Li, the population control program consisted of two parts. 356 F.3d at 1159-60. First, it set a minimum marriage age for men and women. Id. Second, it limited family size to one child per married couple. Id. We held that the government’s program limiting family size, by itself, satisfied the “coercive population control program” prong in § 1101(a)(42)(B). Li, 356 F.3d at 1160 n.5. [3] This case clearly involves a coercive population control program. Birth control officials informed Lin’s brother that he had to be sterilized. Then, the officials attempted to destroy his property when he failed to show up for the procedure. Ultimately, Lin’s brother was sterilized to limit the size of his family. Lin established this sequence of events through credible testimony, and the submission of several supplemental documents. Evaluated together, the evidence compellingly demonstrates that Chinese birth control officials were actively 154 LIN v. GONZALES enforcing a coercive population control program in Fujian at the time of the incident. [4] Lin’s petition turns on whether he met the second requirement — “other resistance” to the coercive population control program. Congress did not define the term “resistance” in § 1101(a)(42)(B). The ordinary meaning of the word “resistance” includes “passive or active opposition.” WEBSTER’S NEW INTERNATIONAL DICTIONARY 1932 (3d ed. 1993). In Li, we indicated that an applicant can resist, as the term is used in § 1101(a)(42)(B), either vocally or physically. 356 F.3d at 1160. There, we held that the petitioner vocally resisted the one-child policy when she told a local population control official that she planned “to have many babies” because she did “not believe in the policy.” Id. In addition, we found that the petitioner physically resisted by kicking and struggling when the officials forced her to undergo a gynecological exam. Id. Here, the BIA concluded that Lin’s actions did not constitute resistance to a coercive population control program. In doing so, the BIA suggested that an applicant does not satisfy the resistance component unless the applicant can demonstrate that the resistance was motivated by a disapproval of birth control policies. In response, Lin argues that the term “resistance” in § 1101(a)(42)(B) stands on its own, and does not require examination of potential motivations, as long as Lin demonstrated opposition to the population control program. As such, Lin argues that he satisfied the resistance prong simply by physically interfering with birth control officials while the officials destroyed family property in accordance with birth control policies. [5] Lin’s argument is persuasive. The plain language of § 1101(a)(42)(B) does not require Lin to resist birth control officials because he disapproves of the birth control program. Thus, Lin’s subjective reasons for resisting need not be reviewed here. Rather, the sole question is whether the applicant claiming “resistance” physically or vocally resisted birth control officials while the officials performed duties related to LIN v. GONZALES 155 the birth control program. We hold that Lin’s physical altercation with the birth control officials while the officials attempted to use coercive measures to enforce birth quotas constitutes physical resistance, and thus, satisfies the “resistance” prong of § 1101(a)(42)(B). This holding comports with the plain language of § 1101(a)(42)(B), the ordinary meaning of the term resistance, and our previous interpretation of the term in Li.