Opinion ID: 2998295
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Improper Analysis of Well-Founded Fear of

Text: Persecution Based on our review of the record, we find that the IJ failed to follow proper procedure in assessing Ms. Sosnovskaia’s asylum claim, thus necessitating that we vacate the IJ’s ruling and remand this case to the BIA. Specifically, Ms. Sosnovskaia concedes deportability but seeks asylum, which would prevent the Agency from removing her or returning her to Ukraine. See 8 U.S.C. § 1158(c)(1)(A) (2000). The Secretary of Homeland Security or the Attorney General may grant asylum to aliens who apply for asylum in a timely fashion, meet certain procedural requirements, and qualify as refugees. 8 U.S.C.A. § 1158(b)(1)(A) (West 2005). A “refugee” is defined as a person who is unable or unwilling to return to the country of her nationality because of “persecution or a well-founded fear of future persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion . . . .” 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(42)(A) (2005); Zheng v. Gonzales, 409 F.3d 804, 808 (7th Cir. 2005). Applicants for asylum bear the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that they qualify as refugees No. 03-3470 7 according to this definition. 8 C.F.R. § 208.13(a) (2005). However, an applicant who is determined to have suffered past persecution is presumed to have a well-founded fear of future persecution. 8 C.F.R. § 208.13(b)(1); see also Angoucheva, 106 F.3d at 788 (“If the alien establishes past persecution, moreover, a rebuttable presumption arises in favor of granting asylum.”). To rebut this presumption, the Agency must prove by a preponderance of the evidence either that there has been such a “fundamental change in circumstances” in the applicant’s country that the applicant’s fear of persecution is no longer well-founded, id., or that the applicant “could avoid future persecution by relocating to another part of the applicant’s country.” 8 C.F.R. § 208.13(b)(1)(i)(B) (2005); Bace v. Ashcroft, 352 F.3d 1133, 1140 (7th Cir. 2003). Ms. Sosnovskaia bases her claim for asylum on her averred fear of persecution on account of her religion. In its review of the IJ’s first ruling, the BIA ruled that Ms. Sosnovskaia had indeed been persecuted in the past, and the Agency did not appeal that finding of fact. Thus, Ms. Sosnovskaia qualifies as a refugee unless the situation in Ukraine has changed fundamentally or there exists safe regions within Ukraine to which she can relocate. The IJ determined that both of these conditions were satisfied. However, on the record before us, we find that the IJ did not follow proper procedure, and as such, leads us to the conclusion that the IJ did not thoroughly consider all of the issues raised before her in this matter. See Mansour, 230 F.3d at 908. The IJ’s ruling made no reference to Ms. Sosnovskaia’s evidence regarding current anti-Semitism in Ukraine. Specifically, the IJ’s ruling did not address the letter that Ms. Sosnovskaia presented from her mother. The letter stated that the mother had been harassed because of her religion. The letter further expressed that in the mother’s opinion, Ms. Sosnovskaia still has much to fear if she returns to Ukraine. The IJ also did not address the 8 No. 03-3470 various newspaper articles and compilations from the Union of Council for Soviet Jews which indicates recent antiSemitic activity in Ukraine. The IJ also did not address any evidence Ms. Sosnovskaia presented that indicated that her request to move to Kiev was rejected by the Ukrainian government, thereby indicating the continued existence of a propiska system in Ukraine. Indeed, the IJ cites nonexistent testimony from Ms. Sosnovskaia, in which she supposedly denied having attempted to relocate within Ukraine. The record contains no such testimony. In addition, the IJ appears to have treated the Country Report as dispositive, contrary to our admonitions in cases such as Diallo v. Ashcroft, 381 F.3d 687 (7th Cir. 2004), regarding the potential for bias in such reports and “the inability of asylum-seekers to question the conclusions contained therein.” Diallo, 381 F.3d at 700; see also Zheng, 409 F.3d at 811; Niam v. Ashcroft, 354 F.3d 652, 658 (7th Cir. 2004); Galina v. INS, 215 F.3d 955, 958-59 (7th Cir. 2000). Most egregiously, the IJ issued her final ruling before permitting Ms. Sosnovskaia to give evidence at the hearing scheduled for October 16, 2001. The procedure that the IJ employed in this case is an affront to Ms. Sosnovskaia’s right to be heard. Regardless of the strength of her case on the merits, fundamental tenets of proper administrative procedure demand that before Ms. Sosnovskaia be deported, she should be granted a fair hearing in which the judge gives due consideration to her arguments. As she has not received a fair hearing and the findings are overreaching and not supported by the evidence in the record, we must vacate the IJ’s ruling and remand for further proceedings. Cf. Mansour, 230 F.3d at 908 (vacating because the BIA’s mislabeling of an applicant’s ethnic and religious affiliation called into question the logic of the ruling); Chitay-Pirir v. INS, 169 F.3d 1079, 1081 (7th Cir. 1999) (vacating because it was “impossible to be confident that No. 03-3470 9 Chitay-Pirir’s claim has been fully understood or analyzed”); Hengan v. INS, 79 F.3d 60, 63-64 (7th Cir. 1996) (vacating, despite the presence of evidence in favor of the Agency that would “[o]rdinarily . . . lead[ ] a reviewing court to affirm,” on the grounds that the IJ took into account irrelevant facts and did not properly consider the applicant’s arguments). On remand, the IJ must again consider the two questions asked by the BIA in its opinion following Ms. Sosnovskaia’s first appeal: first, whether circumstances in Ukraine have changed sufficiently that Ms. Sosnovskaia’s fear of persecution is no longer well-founded; and second, whether Ms. Sosnovskaia can return to Ukraine and yet avoid antiSemitism by relocating to a different region of the country. Unless the Agency proves that one of these conditions is satisfied, Ms. Sosnovskaia will qualify as a refugee based on the presumption arising from the BIA’s findings of fact. As the procedural defects here cast doubt on the current IJ’s ruling in its entirety, the IJ who receives this case on remand may properly consider all of Ms. Sosnovskaia’s requested forms of relief, including not only asylum but also withholding of removal and relief pursuant to the Convention Against Torture.