Cece v. Holder, No. 11-1989 (7th Cir. 2013)
Annotate this CasePetitioner, using a fake Italian passport, came to the U.S. in 2002, at age 23. Less than a year later, she applied for asylum and withholding of removal, claiming that she feared returning to Albania because, as a young woman living alone, she would be kidnapped and forced into prostitution and that police would not protect her because she is Christian and supports the Democratic party, which was not in power. She claimed that she was harassed by the leader of a Muslim gang and that police had taken no action. An IJ granted asylum, concluding that she belonged to a particular social group comprised of young women targeted by traffickers and that the Albanian government was unwilling or unable to protect such women. The decision was vacated by the BIA. The Seventh Circuit denied review, but on rehearing, en banc, vacated and ruled in favor of petitioner. The BIA erred in determining that her social group was not cognizable under the Act and that internal relocation was a feasible means of avoiding persecution.
This opinion or order relates to an opinion or order originally issued on February 6, 2012.
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.