Vahe Keshishiani v. Eric Holder, Jr.

MEMORANDUM

Vahe Keshishiani, a native of Iran and citizen of France, petitions for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ order dismissing his appeal from an immigration judge’s decision denying his applications 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, Zehatye v. Gonzales, 453 F.3d 1182, 1184-85 (9th Cir.2006), and we deny the petition for review.

Substantial evidence supports the agency’s finding that the cumulative effect of the harms experienced by Keshishiani, including two minor beatings by classmates, vandalism to his car, a threatening note, harassment, and employment discrimination, do not rise to the level of persecution. See Hoxha v. Ashcroft, 319 F.3d 1179, 1182 (9th Cir.2003) (harassment, threats, and beating unconnected with any particular threat did not compel finding that ethnic Albanian suffered past persecution in Ko-sovo); Nagoulko v. INS, 333 F.3d 1012, 1016 (9th Cir.2003) (employment discrimination faced by Ukrainian Christian did not rise to level of persecution). Further, the record does not compel the conclusion that Keshishiani established a…