Opinion ID: 773894
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Application of Matter of Chen

Text: 45 The dissent suggests that the BIA might have weighed Lal's lack of an ongoing disability as a factor, not a requirement, in support of its conclusion to deny asylum under Matter of Chen. See infra Part II. This suggestion belies the plain reading of the BIA's decision, which focuses primarily on ongoing disability and does not list other factors as the basis for its reasoning. Furthermore, it would be legal error, under any applicable test, to conclude that the mistreatment suffered by the Lals did not rise to the level of severity required by Matter of Chen. The Lal family suffered atrociously. Mr. Lal was dragged from his home under force of arms, detained, beaten and tortured with knives and cigarettes, forced to drink human urine, deprived of food and water, subjected to religious and politically-based taunts and threats, and had his home and place of worship burned. He was forced at gunpoint to undergo the additional horror of watching his wife be subjected to sexual assault. Mrs. Lal, herself, was threatened, harassed, and sexually assaulted. The Lals' child was harassed, mocked, and turned away from school because of his race and religion. Such persecution is comparable to that faced by others to whom we have applied the Matter of Chen analysis. See, e.g., Vongsakdy v. INS , 171 F.3d 1203 (9th Cir. 1999); Lopez-Galarza v. INS, 99 F.3d 954 (9th Cir. 1996). Thus, even were we to assume that the BIA's decision did not represent a change in policy, its denial of asylum under the humanitarian exception was not supported by substantial evidence.