Silva v. Bondi

• Court: Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
• Decided: April 25, 2025
• Docket: 23-3625
• Status: Unpublished

Opinion

NOT FOR PUBLICATION FILED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS APR 25 2025 MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

CATIA APARECIDA SILVA; et al., No. 23-3625 Agency Nos. Petitioners, A241-807-637 A241-807-635 v. A241-807-636 PAMELA BONDI, Attorney General, MEMORANDUM* Respondent.

On Petition for Review of an Order of the Board of Immigration Appeals

Submitted April 22, 2025**

Before: GRABER, H.A. THOMAS, and JOHNSTONE, Circuit Judges.

Catia Aparecida Silva, Ronaldo Queiros-Silva, and their child, natives and

citizens of Brazil, petition pro se for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’

(“BIA”) order dismissing their appeal from an immigration judge’s (“IJ”) decision

denying their applications for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection

* This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3. ** The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2). under the Convention Against Torture (“CAT”). We have jurisdiction under

8 U.S.C. § 1252. We review for substantial evidence the agency’s factual findings.

Arrey v. Barr, 916 F.3d 1149, 1157 (9th Cir. 2019). We deny the petition for

review.

Substantial evidence supports the agency’s determination that petitioners

failed to show they were or would be persecuted on account of political opinion.

See Navas v. INS, 217 F.3d 646, 656 (9th Cir. 2000) (“[T]he applicant must show

that his persecutors persecuted him (or that he faces the prospect of such

persecution) because of his political opinion.”).

Petitioners’ contention that they were harmed because of their family

membership is not properly before the court because they did not raise it before the

BIA. See 8 U.S.C. § 1252(d)(1) (administrative remedies must be exhausted); see

also Santos-Zacaria v. Garland, 598 U.S. 411, 417-19 (2023) (section 1252(d)(1)

is not jurisdictional).

Because petitioners failed to show any nexus to a protected ground, they also

failed to satisfy the standard for withholding of removal. See Barajas-Romero v.

Lynch, 846 F.3d 351, 359-60 (9th Cir. 2017).

Thus, petitioners’ asylum and withholding of removal claims fail.

In light of this disposition, we need not reach petitioners’ remaining

contentions regarding the merits of their claims. See Simeonov v. Ashcroft, 371

2 23-3625 F.3d 532, 538 (9th Cir. 2004) (courts and agencies are not required to decide issues

unnecessary to the results they reach).

Petitioners do not challenge the BIA’s determination that they waived

review of the IJ’s denial of CAT protection, so we do not address it. See Lopez-

Vasquez v. Holder, 706 F.3d 1072, 1079-80 (9th Cir. 2013).

We do not consider the materials petitioners submit with the opening brief

that are not part of the administrative record. See Fisher v. INS, 79 F.3d 955, 963-

64 (9th Cir. 1996) (en banc).

The temporary stay of removal remains in place until the mandate issues.

PETITION FOR REVIEW DENIED.

3 23-3625