Julia Cerritos v. Jefferson B. Sessions, III , 709 F. App'x 389 ( 2017 )


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  •                   United States Court of Appeals
    For the Eighth Circuit
    ___________________________
    No. 17-1576
    ___________________________
    Julia Mejia Cerritos,
    lllllllllllllllllllllPetitioner,
    v.
    Jefferson B. Sessions, III, Attorney General of the United States,
    lllllllllllllllllllllRespondent.
    ____________
    Petition for Review of an Order of the
    Board of Immigration Appeals
    ____________
    Submitted: December 15, 2017
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    [Unpublished]
    ____________
    Before WOLLMAN, LOKEN, and COLLOTON, Circuit Judges.
    ____________
    PER CURIAM.
    Salvadoran Julia Mejia Cerritos sought asylum for herself and her two minor
    children based on her membership in a particular social group. Before the agency,
    she identified the asserted social group as “El Salvadorans who report criminal
    activity of the MS-13 gang,” “witnesses to gang violence who report the crime or
    retribution to the police,” or “El Salvadorans who witness gang criminal activities and
    face retaliation.” An immigration judge (IJ) denied her request for asylum, and the
    Board of Immigration Appeals dismissed her appeal. Mejia Cerritos petitions for
    review, contending that one or more of her proposed groups qualify as a social group
    for purposes of asylum relief.
    We conclude that substantial evidence supports the finding that Mejia Cerritos
    failed to show past persecution in El Salvador, or a well-founded fear of future
    persecution there, due to membership in a particular social group. See 
    8 U.S.C. § 1158
    (b)(1)(B)(i). The proposed groups in which Mejia Cerritos and her children
    assert membership are not cognizable particular social groups for purposes of
    immigration relief. Mejia Cerritos did not demonstrate that Salvadoran society
    recognized any of her proposed groups as unique, and did not otherwise present
    evidence to support the conclusion that having witnessed and reported criminal gang
    activity would satisfy the particularity or social distinction factors the BIA considers
    when evaluating the cognizability of in a particular social group. See Juarez Chilel
    v. Holder, 
    779 F.3d 850
    , 854-55 (8th Cir. 2015). The petition for review is therefore
    denied. See 8th Cir. R. 47B.
    ______________________________
    -2-
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 17-1576

Citation Numbers: 709 F. App'x 389

Judges: Wollman, Loken, Colloton

Filed Date: 12/21/2017

Precedential Status: Non-Precedential

Modified Date: 11/6/2024