Raul Diaz-deleon, Petitioner, v. Immigration and Naturalization Service, Respondent, 139 F.3d 904 (9th Cir. 1998)

Annotate this Case
US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit - 139 F.3d 904 (9th Cir. 1998) Decided Feb. 17, 1998. Submitted February 11, 1998** San Francisco, California

Petition for Review of a Decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals.

Before GOODWIN, KOZINSKI and THOMPSON, Circuit Judges.


MEMORANDUM* 

The record supports the BIA's finding that the URNG recruited Diaz-Deleon because of his intelligence and skills rather than because of his political opinion. As Diaz-Deleon himself testified, " [T]hey wanted me as a member of their group, because I was more intelligent than the average person and because they needed young people [.]" A.R. 85. See A.R. 77, 81; INS v. Elias-Zacarias, 502 U.S. 478, 482-83, 112 S. Ct. 812, 117 L. Ed. 2d 38 (1992) (group's attempt to recruit victim into, or to extort support for, its cause does not by itself establish causal connection with victim's political opinion); Sangha v. INS, 103 F.3d 1482, 1490 (9th Cir. 1997) (applicant must show that persecution was "because of" her political opinion). Also supported is the BIA's finding that the URNG's influence was not country-wide. See Singh v. Ilchert, 69 F.3d 375, 380 (9th Cir. 1995) (evidence that harassment is not countrywide may be considered in deciding whether to grant asylum). In light of these findings, Diaz-Deleon was entitled to neither asylum nor withholding of deportation. See 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a) (42) (A).

AFFIRMED.

 *

This disposition is not appropriate for publication and may not be cited to or by the courts of this circuit except as provided by 9th Cir.R. 36-3

 **

The panel unanimously finds this case suitable for decision without oral argument. Fed. R. App. P. 34(a); 9th Cir.R. 34-4

Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.