Court Opinion

ID: 9959813
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-04-12 17:01:33.707669+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:18:54.535305
License: Public Domain

NOT FOR PUBLICATION                           FILED
                    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS                        APR 12 2024
                                                                      MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK
                                                                       U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
                           FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

JUBAL BLADIMIR ALVARADO-                        No. 22-1915
VALLADARES,                                     Agency No.
                                                A208-378-596
             Petitioner,

 v.                                             MEMORANDUM*

MERRICK B. GARLAND, Attorney
General,

             Respondent.

                     On Petition for Review of an Order of the
                         Board of Immigration Appeals

                       Argued and Submitted March 6, 2024
                              Pasadena, California

Before: CLIFTON, H.A. THOMAS, and DESAI, Circuit Judges.

      Jubal Bladimir Alvarado-Valladares (“Alvarado”), a native and citizen of

Honduras, petitions for review of a Board of Immigration Appeals decision

affirming the denial of his claims for asylum, withholding of removal, and

Convention Against Torture (“CAT”) protection. Alvarado entered the United States

      *
             This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent
except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3.
after two encounters with gang members in Honduras. During the first encounter,

gang members tied up and beat Alvarado and stole his personal belongings,

including electronics and a refrigerator. During the second encounter, one of the

gang members returned and asked why Alvarado reported the attack to police and

threatened to kill him.

      Before the agencies, Alvarado alleged that he feared persecution on account

of his membership in particular social groups (“PSG”) comprised of his family,

victims and witnesses of criminal activity, and victims and witnesses of criminal

activity who have cooperated with law enforcement, as well as his anti-corruption

political opinion. He also alleged a fear of torture by or with the acquiescence of the

government.

      We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291. We review denials of asylum,

withholding of removal, and CAT relief for substantial evidence. Yali Wang v.

Sessions, 861 F.3d 1003, 1007 (9th Cir. 2017) (quoting Ling Huang v. Holder, 744

F.3d 1149, 1152 (9th Cir. 2014)). We deny the petition.

      1.      Substantial evidence supports the agency’s conclusion that Alvarado

did not demonstrate a nexus between harm and a protected ground. To be eligible

for asylum or withholding of removal, a petitioner has the burden to demonstrate a

likelihood of persecution on account of a protected ground. 8 U.S.C.

§§ 1158(b)(1)(B)(i), 1231(b)(3). To establish eligibility for asylum, a petitioner must

                                         2                                   22-1915
demonstrate that a protected ground is “one central reason” for persecution. 8 U.S.C.

§ 1158(b)(1)(B)(i). The nexus standard for withholding of removal claims is less

demanding; a petitioner need only show that the protected ground is “a reason” for

persecution. Barajas-Romero v. Lynch, 846 F.3d 351, 359–60 (9th Cir. 2017).

      The agency found that the gang members who attacked Alvarado were

motivated by financial gain rather than Alvarado’s asserted protected grounds.

Alvarado testified that the gang members took several items of value after attacking

him during the first encounter. Although Alvarado testified that he believed the gang

members were looking for a document concerning his family’s land, he admitted

that the gang members did not mention his family during the attack. After Alvarado

reported the first attack to Honduran police, the gang members returned and

threatened to kill Alvarado. The immigration judge noted that the gang members

nevertheless did not appear motivated by Alvarado’s status in a crime victims PSG.

      Taken together, both encounters with the gang members demonstrate that their

motive was financial gain. See Zetino v. Holder, 622 F.3d 1007, 1016 (9th Cir. 2010)

(holding that an applicant failed to prove nexus where he experienced “harassment

by criminals motivated by theft or random violence”). The record does not compel

the conclusion that the gang members were motivated by Alvarado’s membership in

any PSG or political opinion. Substantial evidence thus supports the denial of

Alvarado’s asylum and withholding of removal claims.

                                        3                                  22-1915
      2.     Substantial evidence also supports the agency’s conclusion that

Alvarado did not show a likelihood of future torture by or with the acquiescence of

public officials in Honduras. To establish entitlement to CAT relief, a petitioner must

show that it is more likely than not that he will face torture by or with the

acquiescence of the government. De Leon v. Garland, 51 F.4th 992, 1004 (9th Cir.

2022). Alvarado contends that he would suffer torture by the Honduran government

because police are affiliated with gangs in Honduras, and he would be targeted by a

specific police officer. But Alvarado failed to offer any evidence beyond his own

speculative testimony and did not explain his grounds for believing that the police

officer was targeting him. The record thus does not compel the conclusion that it is

more likely than not that Alvarado would experience torture by or with the

acquiescence of the government.

      The petition for review is DENIED.

                                         4                                   22-1915