Opinion ID: 691750
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Ties to the Community

Text: 34 Finally, Doron contends that the BIA erred in giving only a cursory review to the strong emotional ties Doron has to the Las Vegas community and to her friends there. In support of this argument, Doron cites Santana-Figueroa v. INS, 644 F.2d 1354 (9th Cir.1981). 35 In Santana-Figueroa, we ruled that the Board should have considered the fact that the petitioner regularly attended church in his American community for ten years, had close friends in his American community, and felt that he had become part of American society. In that case, Santana-Figueroa had also enclosed a letter from his priest who wrote that the petitioner had been an asset to the church and to the community. Santana-Figueroa, 644 F.2d at 1357. It is important to note, however, that in Santana-Figueroa, we were primarily concerned with the Board's lack of consideration of the fact that this 70-year-old disabled man would be completely unable to work if deported to Mexico. Id. at 1356. In that case, we reversed the BIA's denial of Santana-Figueroa's claim, stating that the Board should have considered his economic hardship alongside the noneconomic hardship of leaving his close community ties. Id. at 1357. 36 In this case, the BIA did give consideration to Doron's emotional ties argument. (See AR at 4, first full paragraph.) The BIA did not abuse its discretion because it adequately considered this factor.