Isabel Lopez-Ramirez v. Eric Holder, Jr.

MEMORANDUM

Isabel Lopez-Ramirez and Dubia Maribel Martinez Lopez, natives and citizens of Guatemala, petition for review of a Board of Immigration Appeals’ order dismissing their appeal from an immigration judge’s decision denying their application for asylum. We have jurisdiction under 8 U.S.C. § 1252 . We review for substantial evidence, Gu v. Gonzales, 454 F.3d 1014, 1018 (9th Cir.2006), and we deny the petition for review.

Contrary to Lopez-Ramirez’s contention, substantial evidence supports the agency’s finding that the incident in which she was hit on the head with a gun did not rise to the level of persecution. See id. at 1020 . Substantial evidence also supports the agency’s determination that Lopez-Ramirez failed to establish a nexus between her past experiences, or her fear of future harm, and a protected ground. See Sangha v. INS, 103 F.3d 1482, 1489-91 (9th Cir.1997) (no evidence petitioner was persecuted on account of an actual or imputed political opinion). Lopez-Ramirez’s fear of future persecution is also undermined by her return trip to Guatemala. See Hakeem v. INS, 273 F.3d 812, 816 (9th Cir.2001) (claim of persecution upon return is undermined when petitioner…