Case Explained: VARGAS-DE CAMPOS, ET AL. V. BLANCHE

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Filed: 2026-07-14

The ninth-circuit denied the petition for review filed by two El Salvador nationals seeking asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT). The court applied the substantial evidence standard to review the Board of Immigration Appeals’ (BIA) findings regarding the petitioners’ claims. Regarding asylum and withholding of removal, the court held that the record did not compel a conclusion that two gang threats made months apart constituted past persecution, as they lacked specificity and were not followed up by further harm. Furthermore, the court found the petitioners failed to establish a well-founded fear of future persecution because there was no evidence the gang retained an interest in them after they left El Salvador, rendering their fear objectively unreasonable. Consequently, eligibility for withholding of removal was denied as it is contingent on asylum eligibility. Regarding CAT relief, the court determined that the threats did not meet the high threshold for torture and that generalized country conditions were insufficient to prove a more likely than not risk of future torture or government acquiescence. As a result, the petition is denied, though the temporary stay of removal remains in effect until the mandate issues.

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