Martin Ernesto Alonzo v. U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service

Martin Ernesto Alonzo, a citizen of Guatemala, contests the denial of his applications for “withholding of deportation” and political asylum. He contends that the Immigration Judge’s and the Board of Immigration Appeals’ adverse credibility findings are not supported by substantial evidence and that the BIA applied the wrong standards governing political neutrality and persecution to him. We have jurisdiction over Alonzo s timely appeal pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1105a(a) and affirm.

I. BACKGROUND

Alonzo, a citizen of Guatemala, illegally entered the United States in May of 1983. He testified that he left Guatemala due to persecution by a military commissioner, Efrain Villafuerte.

Pursuant to Guatemala law, Alonzo is exempt from active military service, but not from service in the reserves, because he is the only son of a widow who relied upon him for support. Despite Alonzo’s exemption, Villafuerte made three attempts to conscript Alonzo into active military service. Villafuerte abducted Alonzo twice in 1980 and held him captive in the military barracks, but did not harm him. Villaf-uerte’s superiors released Alonzo both times following his mother’s explanation that Alonzo was…