Gonzalez

MEMORANDUM **

Juana Gonzalez petitions pro se for review of a decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) affirming the Immigration Judge’s (“IJ”) decision denying Gonzalez’s application for asylum and withholding of deportation. We have jurisdiction over Gonzalez’s petition for review under the transitional rules of section 309(c) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (“IIRI-RA”), Pub.L. No. 104-208, 110 Stat. 3009-546 (Sept. 30, 1996). 1 We deny Gonzalez’s petition for review.

*969 I

Gonzalez is a native and citizen of Guatemala. She contends that her common law husband, who was a member of the Guatemala military and police force, was assassinated in 1981 by guerillas. Gonzales contends that she fears returning to Guatemala because of her association with her husband. She also contends that the guerillas tried to forcibly recruit her, and when she refused to join them, they physically abused her.

II

In addition to contesting the merits of Gonzalez’s petition, the government contends that (1) we lack jurisdiction to review Gonzalez’s claims because Gonzalez failed to exhaust administrative remedies and (2) we should strike Gonzalez’s…