Siquina Cacatzum v. Mukasey

MEMORANDUM **

Juan David Siquina Cacatzum petitions pro se for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ (“BIA’s”) order dismissing his appeal from an immigration judge’s (“IJ’s”) order denying his application for asylum, withholding of removal, relief under the Convention Against Torture (“CAT”), and cancellation of removal. Our jurisdiction is governed by 8 U.S.C. § 1252 . The BIA relied in part on the IJ’s decision, so we review the BIA’s decision and “look to the IJ’s oral decision as a guide to what lay behind the BIA’s conclusion.” Ahmed v. Keisler, 504 F.3d 1183, 1191 (9th Cir.2007). We deny in part and dismiss in part the petition for review.

We review for substantial evidence the denial of asylum. See Pedro-Mateo v. INS, 224 F.3d 1147, 1150 (9th Cir.2000). Substantial evidence supports the IJ’s determination that Siquina Cacatzum did not establish that guerillas forcibly recruited him on account of his actual or imputed political opinion. Siquina Cacatzum merely speculated that guerillas might have persecuted him because his brother had been in the Guatemalan military, but he offered no evidence linking the guerillas’ recruitment to his brother’s military service or…