Demisse v. Gonzales , 124 F. App'x 820 ( 2005 )


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  •                               UNPUBLISHED
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
    No. 04-1626
    SAMSON BIZUWORK DEMISSE,
    Petitioner,
    versus
    ALBERTO R. GONZALES, Attorney General,
    Respondent.
    On Petition for Review of an Order of the Board of Immigration
    Appeals. (A77-877-334)
    Submitted:   March 11, 2005                 Decided:   April 5, 2005
    Before TRAXLER, GREGORY, and SHEDD, Circuit Judges.
    Petition denied by unpublished per curiam opinion.
    Samuel N. Omwenga, Washington, D.C., for Petitioner.      Peter D.
    Keisler, Assistant Attorney General, Allen W. Hausman, Senior
    Litigation Counsel, Jennifer J. Keeney, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF
    JUSTICE, Washington, D.C., for Respondent.
    Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
    See Local Rule 36(c).
    PER CURIAM:
    Samson   Bizuwork    Demisse,     a    native     and   citizen     of
    Ethiopia,   petitions   for     review   of   an   order     of   the   Board   of
    Immigration   Appeals   affirming    without       opinion    the   immigration
    judge’s denial of his applications for asylum, withholding of
    removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture.                   The
    immigration judge ruled that Demisse was not a credible witness and
    did not otherwise sustain his burden of proof.*
    To obtain reversal of a determination denying eligibility
    for relief, an alien “must show that the evidence he presented was
    so compelling that no reasonable factfinder could fail to find the
    requisite fear of persecution.”          INS v. Elias-Zacarias, 
    502 U.S. 478
    , 483-84 (1992).     We have reviewed the evidence of record and
    conclude that Demisse fails to show that the evidence compels a
    contrary result.
    Nor can Demisse show that he was entitled to withholding
    of removal under 
    8 U.S.C. § 1231
    (b)(3) (2000). “Because the burden
    of proof for withholding of removal is higher than for asylum--even
    though the facts that must be proved are the same--an applicant who
    is ineligible for asylum is necessarily ineligible for withholding
    *
    Demisse raises no claim on appeal regarding the Convention
    against Torture; he also does not challenge the immigration judge’s
    credibility finding.   Therefore, he has abandoned these claims.
    See United States v. Al-Hamdi, 
    356 F.3d 564
    , 571 n.8 (4th Cir.
    2004); Edwards v. City of Goldsboro, 
    178 F.3d 231
    , 241 n.6 (4th
    Cir. 1999).
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    of removal under [8 U.S.C.] § 1231(b)(3).” Camara v. Ashcroft, 
    378 F.3d 361
    , 367 (4th Cir. 2004).
    We deny the petition for review.   We dispense with oral
    argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately
    presented in the materials before the court and argument would not
    aid the decisional process.
    PETITION DENIED
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