Veliz
Veliz v. Ashcroft
Opinion
Lead Opinion
MEMORANDUM **
Samuel Quinonez Veliz, a native and citizen of Guatemala, petitions for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ (“BIA”) summary affirmance of an Immigration Judge’s (“IJ”) denial of his application for asylum and withholding of removal. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1252 , and we deny the petition for review. See Lata v. INS, 204 F.3d 1241, 1244 (9th Cir.2000) (“[T]he IJ’s determination that an alien is not eligible for asylum must be upheld if supported by reasonable, substantial, and probative evidence in the record.”).
Substantial evidence supports the IJ’s conclusion that Quinonez Veliz was not persecuted on account of a protected ground. A reasonable factfinder could conclude that petitioner was not targeted by the guerrillas because of an imputed political opinion. Quinonez Veliz himself testified that the guerrillas “were always trying to get the young students to join them,” an indication that he was not singled out for political reasons. See Sangha v. INS, 103 F.3d 1482, 1489 (9th Cir.1997) (considering “the political views the persecutor rightly or in error attributes to his victims”).