Jose Morales-Lopez v. Eric H. Holder Jr.

MEMORANDUM

Jose Eduardo Morales-Lopez, a native and citizen of Guatemala, petitions for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ order dismissing his appeal from an immigration judge’s decision denying his application for asylum, withholding of removal, and relief under the Convention Against Torture. We have jurisdiction under 8 U.S.C. § 1252 . We review questions of law de novo, see, e.g., Cerezo v. Mukasey, 512 F.3d 1163, 1166 (9th Cir.2008), except to the extent that deference is owed to the BIA’s interpretation of the governing statutes and regulations. See Simeonov v. Ashcroft, 371 F.3d 532, 535 (9th Cir.2004). We review factual findings for substantial evidence. See, e.g., Zehatye v. Gonzales, 453 F.3d 1182, 1184-85 (9th Cir.2006). We deny the petition for review.

We reject Morales’s claim that he is eligible for asylum and withholding of removal based on his membership in a particular social group, namely, people who have lived in the United States, are perceived as wealthy, and are parents of children who are United States citizens. See Delgado-Ortiz v. Holder, 600 F.3d 1148, 1151-52 (9th Cir.2010); Ochoa v. Gonzales, 406 F.3d 1166, 1171 (9th Cir.2005); In re A-M-E &…