Background
Lead petitioners Carlos Alberto Romero-Ramirez and Wendy Cecilia Villalta-Cisneros, natives and citizens of El Salvador, petitioned for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals denial of their asylum applications. The petitioners alleged persecution by gangs in El Salvador.
The court’s reasoning
The court reviewed the Board of Immigration Appeals factual findings for substantial evidence. The court found that the petitioners did not properly raise the particular social group of a schoolteacher and her immediate family before the Immigration Judge, as the record showed no definition was provided and no citation to the record supported the assertion on appeal. Additionally, the record supported the agency’s finding that the gang targeted the petitioners for financial reasons, believing they were making more money and had rich relatives in the United States. The court noted that a generalized fear of extortion and violence by gangs is insufficient for asylum when the persecutor’s motivation is financial.
What it means going forward
The petition for review is denied, and the Board of Immigration Appeals order denying asylum stands. The temporary stay of removal continues until the mandate issues.
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