Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Before
Howard, Chief Judge,
Selya and Lipez, Circuit Judges.
previously
entered
this
country
without
Notice
to
Immigration
Appear
and
charging
Nationality
212(a)(7)(A)(i)(I).1
In
her
as
Act
removable
response,
pursuant
212(a)(6)(C)(i)
Giraldo
sought
to
and
asylum,
she did not appeal the immigration judge's ("IJ") decision to the
Instead, Giraldo voluntarily returned to Colombia.2
BIA.
She
- 2 -
See Wan v. Holder, 776 F.3d 52, 55-56 (1st Cir. 2015).
the BIA's decision unless Giraldo can show "that the BIA committed
an
error
of
law
or
exercised
its
judgment
in
an
arbitrary,
100 (1st Cir. 2008) (quoting Raza v. Gonzales, 484 F.3d 125, 127
(1st Cir. 2007)).
Normally, a motion to reopen immigration proceedings
must be filed within 90 days of the entry of the final order of
removal.
8 C.F.R. 1003.2(c)(2).
- 3 -
There is,
8 C.F.R. 1003.2(c)(3)(ii).
In Giraldo's case, the BIA concluded that she had not made
out a prima facie case for any of the forms of relief sought.
To establish eligibility for asylum, an applicant must
prove either past persecution or a well-founded fear of future
persecution if repatriated, on account of one of five enumerated
grounds: race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular
social group, or political opinion. See 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(42)(A).
To make out a prima facie case for asylum in the context of a
- 4 -
437
(internal
quotation
marks
omitted).
"reasonable
Id.
("The law in this circuit and others is clear that a family may be
a particular social group simply by virtue of its kinship ties,
without requiring anything more.").
- 5 -
determination.
To satisfy the nexus requirement, an asylum applicant
must "provide sufficient evidence to forge an actual connection
between the harm and some statutorily protected ground."
Lopez de
The BIA
did not abuse its discretion when it concluded that Giraldo failed
to satisfy this requirement.
petitioner
"presented
no
evidence
other
than
his
own
The only
- 6 -
group with still another cousin who has apparently not been
harmed and "helping people in social projects."
Giraldo also
Yet,
for
Giraldo
the
has
asylum
failed
claim,
to
her
carry
the
counterpart
burden
claim
of
for
- 7 -