Xing Tong Dong v. Holder , 441 F. App'x 38 ( 2011 )


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  •          10-3652-ag
    Dong v. Holder
    BIA
    Weisel, IJ
    A088 552 386
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE SECOND CIRCUIT
    SUMMARY ORDER
    RULINGS BY SUMMARY ORDER DO NOT HAVE PRECEDENTIAL EFFECT. CITATION TO A SUMMARY ORDER
    FILED ON OR AFTER JANUARY 1, 2007, IS PERMITTED AND IS GOVERNED BY FEDERAL RULE OF
    APPELLATE PROCEDURE 32.1 AND THIS COURT’S LOCAL RULE 32.1.1. WHEN CITING A SUMMARY
    ORDER IN A DOCUMENT FILED WITH THIS COURT, A PARTY MUST CITE EITHER THE FEDERAL
    APPENDIX OR AN ELECTRONIC DATABASE (WITH THE NOTATION “SUMMARY ORDER”). A PARTY CITING
    A SUMMARY ORDER MUST SERVE A COPY OF IT ON ANY PARTY NOT REPRESENTED BY COUNSEL.
    1            At a stated term of the United States Court of Appeals
    2       for the Second Circuit, held at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan
    3       United States Courthouse, 500 Pearl Street, in the City of
    4       New York, on the 18th day of October, two thousand eleven.
    5
    6       PRESENT:
    7                DENNIS JACOBS,
    8                     Chief Judge,
    9                RAYMOND J. LOHIER, JR.,
    10                SUSAN L. CARNEY,
    11                     Circuit Judges.
    12       _______________________________________
    13
    14       XING TONG DONG,
    15                Petitioner,
    16
    17                        v.                                  10-3652-ag
    18                                                            NAC
    19       ERIC H. HOLDER, JR., UNITED STATES
    20       ATTORNEY GENERAL,
    21                Respondent.
    22       ______________________________________
    23
    24       FOR PETITIONER:               Freddy Jacobs, New York, New York.
    25
    26       FOR RESPONDENT:               Tony West, Assistant Attorney
    27                                     General; Blair T. O’Connor,
    28                                     Assistant Director; Edward C.
    29                                     Durant, Trial Attorney, Office of
    1
    1                             Immigration Litigation, Civil
    2                             Division, United States Department
    3                             of Justice, Washington, D.C.
    4
    5       UPON DUE CONSIDERATION of this petition for review of a
    6   Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) decision, it is hereby
    7   ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the petition for review
    8   is DENIED.
    9       Petitioner Xing Tong Dong, a native and citizen of
    10   China, seeks review of a August 13, 2010 order of the BIA
    11   affirming the October 30, 2008 decision of Immigration Judge
    12   (“IJ”) Robert Weisel denying his application for asylum,
    13   withholding of removal, and relief under the Convention
    14   Against Torture (“CAT”).     In re Xing Tong Dong, No. A088 552
    15   386 (B.I.A. Aug. 13, 2010), aff’g No. A088 552 386 (Immig.
    16   Ct. N.Y. City Oct. 30, 2008).       We assume the parties’
    17   familiarity with the underlying facts and procedural history
    18   in this case.
    19       Under the circumstances of this case, we have reviewed
    20   both the IJ’s and the BIA’s opinions “for the sake of
    21   completeness.”     Zaman v. Mukasey, 
    514 F.3d 233
    , 237 (2d Cir.
    22   2008).   The applicable standards of review are well
    23   established.     See 8 U.S.C. § 1252(b)(4)(B); Yanqin Weng v.
    24   Holder, 
    562 F.3d 510
    , 513 (2d Cir. 2009).
    2
    1       Contrary to Dong’s position, the agency reasonably
    2   concluded that his six hours of detention, during which he
    3   was forced to write a “self-confession” letter, did not rise
    4   to the level of persecution.   Brief periods of detention, on
    5   their own, may not rise to the level of persecution.    See Ai
    6   Feng Yuan v. U.S. Dept. of Justice, 
    416 F.3d 192
    , 198 (2d
    7   Cir. 2005), overruled on other grounds by Shi Liang Lin v.
    8   U.S. Dep't. of Justice, 
    494 F.3d 296
    , 313 (2d Cir. 2007).
    9   Nor did the incident in which family planning officials
    10   threatened Dong with possible sterilization rise to the
    11   level of persecution.   See Gui Ci Pan v. U.S. Att'y Gen.,
    12   
    449 F.3d 408
    , 412 (2d Cir. 2006) (rejecting persecution
    13   claims involving unfulfilled threats).
    14       Because Dong did not provide any evidence that he was
    15   threatened with sterilization after his wife’s forced
    16   abortion, and the record evidence fails to indicate that he
    17   would be sterilized if he were to return to China, Dong also
    18   did not establish an objectively reasonable fear of future
    19   persecution, i.e. sterilization.   See Jian Xing Huang v.
    20   INS, 
    421 F.3d 125
    , 129 (2d Cir. 2005) (per curiam) (holding
    21   that, absent solid support in the record for the
    3
    1   petitioner’s assertion that he would be subjected to
    2   persecution in China because of his desire to have more
    3   children, his fear was “speculative at best”).     Accordingly,
    4   because Dong did not establish that he suffered past
    5   persecution or that his fear of sterilization was
    6   objectively reasonable, he did not establish his eligibility
    7   for asylum or withholding of removal.     See Ramsameachire v.
    8   Ashcroft, 
    357 F.3d 169
    , 178, 184-85 (2d Cir. 2004).
    9       For the foregoing reasons, the petition for review is
    10   DENIED.   As we have completed our review, any stay of
    11   removal that the Court previously granted in this petition
    12   is VACATED, and any pending motion for a stay of removal in
    13   this petition is DISMISSED as moot.     Any pending request for
    14   oral argument in this petition is DENIED in accordance with
    15   Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34(a)(2), and Second
    16   Circuit Local Rule 34.1(b).
    17                                 FOR THE COURT:
    18                                 Catherine O’Hagan Wolfe, Clerk
    19
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