U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 2010

Cesar Ortiz v. Eric H. Holder Jr.

Cesar Ortiz v. Eric H. Holder Jr.
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · Decided August 31, 2010 · Leavy, Hawkins, Thomas
394 F. App'x 374

Cesar Ortiz v. Eric H. Holder Jr.

Opinion

MEMORANDUM **

Cesar Augusto Ortiz, a native and citizen of Guatemala, petitions for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ (“BIA”) order dismissing his appeal from an immigration judge’s decision denying his application for asylum and withholding *375 of removal. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1252. We review for substantial evidence, Lim v. INS, 224 F.3d 929, 933 (9th Cir. 2000), and we deny the petition for review.

Substantial evidence supports the agency’s determination that Ortiz did not establish past persecution based on threats by the guerillas and a single instance of mistreatment by soldiers. See id. at 936 (only in “certain extreme cases [have we] held that repeated and especially menacing death threats can constitute a primary part of a past persecution claim”). Substantial evidence also supports the agency’s determination that Ortiz failed to establish a well-founded fear of future persecution in light of changed country conditions following the 1996 peace accords. See Molino-Estrada v. INS, 293 F.3d 1089, 1096 (9th Cir. 2002).

Because Ortiz did not establish eligibility for asylum, it necessarily follows that he did not satisfy the more stringent standard for withholding of removal. See Zehatye v. Gonzales, 453 F.3d 1182, 1190 (9th Cir. 2006).

PETITION FOR REVIEW DENIED.

**

This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by 9 th Cir. R. 36-3.

Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.