Kamal Singh v. Eric Holder, Jr.

MEMORANDUM

Mauricio Alberto Vaquedano-Sanchez, a native and citizen of Honduras, petitions for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ (“BIA”) order dismissing his appeal from an immigration judge’s decision denying his application for asylum and withholding of removal. We have jurisdiction under 8 U.S.C. § 1252 . We review for substantial evidence the agency’s factual findings, Wakkary v. Holder, 558 F.3d 1049, 1056 (9th Cir.2009), and we deny the petition for review.

Vaquedano-Sanchez claims past persecution and a fear of future persecution by gang members in Honduras. Substantial evidence supports the BIA’s determination that Vaquedano-Sanchez failed to establish past mistreatment or a fear of future mistreatment on account of a protected ground. See Gormley v. Ashcroft, 364 F.3d 1172, 1177 (9th Cir.2004) (random criminal acts bore no nexus to a protected ground); Pagayon v. Holder, 675 F.3d 1182, 1191 (9th Cir.2011) (per curiam) (personal disputes not grounds for asylum unless connected to a protected ground) (citation omitted). Accordingly, VaquedanoSanchez’s asylum claim fails.

Because Vaquedano-Sanchez failed to establish eligibility for asylum, his withholding of…