Lopez-Rodriguez

Lopez-Rodriguez v. Gonzales

Good Law
236 F. App'x 296
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitJune 6, 2007No. 06-70198California304 words

Opinion

Lead Opinion

MEMORANDUM **

Edwin Ernán Lopez-Rodriguez, a native and citizen of Guatemala, petitions for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ (“BIA”) decision that affirmed the Immigration Judge’s denial of his application for asylum, withholding of removal, and relief under the Convention Against Torture (“CAT”). We have jurisdiction pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1252 . We review for substantial evidence, Rios v. Ashcroft, 287 F.3d 895, 899 (9th Cir.2002). We grant the petition and remand in part and deny in part.

After conducting a de novo review of the record, the BIA found that assuming credibility and assuming that Lopez-Rodriguez demonstrated past persecution, the regulatory presumption of a well-founded fear of future persecution was rebutted by a fundamental change in country conditions. Substantial evidence does not support this finding because neither of the BIA’s observations regarding this issue “constitutes evidence that, on an individualized basis, rebuts [the] specific grounds for [Lopez-Rodriguez’s] well-founded fear of future persecution.” Id. at 902 (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). Accordingly, we grant the petition and remand to the agency for further…

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