Guevara-Mancia

MEMORANDUM **

Jose Guevara-Mancia, a native and citizen of El Salvador, petitions pro se for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ (“BIA”) affirmance of an Immigration Judge’s (“IJ”) denial of his applications for asylum and withholding of removal. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1252 . We review for substantial evidence, Gormley v. Ashcroft, 364 F.3d 1172, 1176 (9th Cir.2004), and we deny the petition for review.

Guevara-Mancia testified that his parents received a threatening message from a criminal gang demanding money, and his brother-in-law was kidnapped by the same gang, but petitioner presented no evidence that these criminal acts occurred, even in part, on account of a protected ground. See id. at 1177 (upholding agency determination where petitioner presented no evidence that the perpetrators victimized him on account of a protected ground, rather than because he carried a cell phone and a watch.) Furthermore, no other evidence compels the conclusion that the petitioner will be victimized by criminals in El Salvador in the future on account of a protected ground, rather than because of his perceived wealth. See id. Accordingly, substantial evidence…