U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 2014

Dency Leon-Polanco v. Eric Holder Jr.

Dency Leon-Polanco v. Eric Holder Jr.
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · Decided June 18, 2014 · McKeown, Wardlaw, Smith
580 F. App'x 521

Dency Leon-Polanco v. Eric Holder Jr.

Opinion

MEMORANDUM **

Luz Del Carmen-Dejala, a native and citizen of El Salvador, petitions for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ (“BIA”) order dismissing her appeal from an immigration judge’s (“IJ”) decision denying her application for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture (“CAT”). We have jurisdiction under 8 U.S.C. § 1252. We review for substantial evidence the agency’s factual findings. Zehatye v. Gonzales, 453 F.3d 1182, 1184-85 (9th Cir. 2006). We deny in part and grant in part the petition for review, and we remand.

Substantial evidence supports the agency’s denial of CAT relief because Del Carmen-Dejala failed to establish it is more likely than not she would be tortured by or with the acquiescence of the government if returned to El Salvador. See Silaya v. Mukasey, 524 F.3d 1066, 1073 (9th Cir. 2008).

In denying Del Carmen-Dejala’s asylum and withholding of removal claims, the BIA found Del Carmen-Dejala failed to establish past persecution or a fear of future persecution on account of a protected ground. When the IJ and BIA issued their decisions in this case they did not have the benefit of either this court’s decisions in Henriquez-Rivas v. Holder, 707 F.3d 1081 (9th Cir. 2013) (en banc), Cordoba v. Holder, 726 F.3d 1106 (9th Cir. 2013), and Pirir-Boc v. Holder, No. 09-73671, 750 F.3d 1077, 2014 WL 1797657 (9th Cir. May 7, 2014), or the BIA’s decisions in Matter of M-E-V-G-, 26 I. & N. Dec. 227 (BIA 2014), and Matter of W-G-R-, 26 I. & N. Dec. 208 (BIA 2014). Thus, we remand Del Carmen-Dejala’s asylum and withholding of removal claims to determine the impact, if any, of these decisions. See INS v. Ventura, 537 U.S. 12, 16-18, 123 S.Ct. 353, 154 L.Ed.2d 272 (2002) (per curiam). In light of this remand, we do not reach Del Carmen-Dejala’s remaining challenges to the agency’s denial of her asylum and withholding of removal claims at this time.

The parties shall bear their own costs for this petition for review.

*522 PETITION FOR REVIEW DENIED in part; GRANTED in part; REMANDED.

**

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

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