Jorge Jimenez-Araujo v. Eric Holder, Jr.

MEMORANDUM

Jorge Eduardo Jimenez-Araujo, a native and citizen of Guatemala, petitions pro se for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ (“BIA”) order dismissing his appeal from an immigration judge’s decision denying his 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 evi dence the agency’s factual findings, Zehatye v. Gonzales, 453 F.3d 1182, 1184-85 (9th Cir.2006), and we deny the petition for review.

Jimenez-Araujo testified that he worked on a construction projected awarded to his friend, the son of a government official. He further testified that unsuccessful construction bidders threatened and harmed him because they were upset that they did not win the construction project. The record does not compel the conclusion that these threats or harm, or any future harm Jimenez-Araujo fears, was or will be on account of a protected ground. See Parussimova v. Mukasey, 555 F.3d 734, 740 (9th Cir.2009) (the REAL ID Act “requires that a protected ground represent ‘one central reason’ for an asylum applicant’s persecution”); see also INS v.…