Torres-Contreras v. Bondi

• Court: Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
• Decided: January 15, 2026
• Docket: 23-3986
• Status: Unpublished

Opinion

NOT FOR PUBLICATION FILED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS JAN 15 2026 MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

REINA MADELIN TORRES- No. 23-3986 CONTRERAS; et al., Agency Nos. A220-600-210 Petitioners, A220-152-682 v. MEMORANDUM* PAMELA BONDI, Attorney General,

Respondent.

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

Submitted January 15, 2026**

Before: BENNETT, BADE, and SUNG, Circuit Judges.

Reina Madelin Torres-Contreras and her minor daughter, natives and

citizens of El Salvador, petition pro se for review of the Board of Immigration

Appeals’ (“BIA”) order dismissing their appeal from an Immigration Judge’s

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

* 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). protection under the Convention Against Torture (“CAT”).1 We have jurisdiction

under 8 U.S.C. § 1252. We review de novo the legal question of whether a

particular social group is cognizable. Nguyen v. Barr, 983 F.3d 1099, 1101 (9th

Cir. 2020). We review for substantial evidence the agency’s “conclusion regarding

social distinction—whether there is evidence that a specific society recognizes a

social group.” Rodriguez-Zuniga v. Garland, 69 F.4th 1012, 1016 (9th Cir. 2023)

(quoting Conde Quevedo v. Barr, 947 F.3d 1238, 1242 (9th Cir. 2020)). Under the

substantial evidence standard, we will reverse the agency “only on a finding that

the evidence not only supports a contrary conclusion, but compels it.” Diaz-Torres

v. Barr, 963 F.3d 976, 980 (9th Cir. 2020) (quoting Reyes v. Lynch, 842 F.3d 1125,

1137 (9th Cir. 2016)). We deny the petition for review.

Substantial evidence supports the agency’s determination that Petitioners

failed to establish that the proposed particular social group of “adult female

Salvadorans with kinship ties to Salvadoran military service members” is socially

distinct. See Conde Quevedo, 947 F.3d at 1243 (finding a proposed particular

social group was not cognizable “because of the absence of society-specific

evidence of social distinction”). A particular social group must be “socially

distinct within the society in question.” Akosung v. Barr, 970 F.3d 1095, 1103 (9th

1 Torres-Contreras’ minor daughter is a derivative beneficiary of Torres-Contreras’ application.

2 23-3986 Cir. 2020) (quoting Matter of M-E-V-G-, 26 I. & N. Dec. 227, 237 (B.I.A. 2014)).

“Social distinction refers to whether ‘the people of a given society would perceive

a proposed group as sufficiently separate or distinct.’” Diaz-Torres, 963 F.3d at

980 (quoting Pirir-Boc v. Holder, 750 F.3d 1077, 1084 (9th Cir. 2014)). This

“general social perception” is not “assessed from the perspective of the

persecutors,” but “from the perspective of ‘the society in question as a whole,’ ‘the

residents of a particular region,’ or ‘members of a different social group.’” Id.

(quoting Cordoba v. Holder, 726 F.3d 1106, 1115 (9th Cir. 2013)). The agency’s

finding that a proposed group is socially distinct must be supported by an

“evidence-based inquiry.” Id.

Petitioners have pointed to no evidence of how their proposed group is

perceived by Salvadoran society as a whole, by residents of any region, or by

members of any social group. They have submitted evidence only that they

believe gangs targeted their family on account of their relationship to military

servicemen. But social distinction cannot be “assessed from the perspective of the

persecutors.” Diaz-Torres, 963 F.3d at 980.

Our holding in Parada v. Sessions is not to the contrary. 902 F.3d 901 (9th

Cir. 2018). There, we found a cognizable particular social group when the

petitioner was persecuted in El Salvador “‘on account of’ his family’s government

and military service.” Id. at 910. But the particular social group in that case was

3 23-3986 the petitioner’s family, singled out by name by the persecuting guerillas. Id. We

have not held that families of servicemembers generally constitute a particular

social group in El Salvador, and the record in this case does not “compel[]” a

“contrary conclusion.” Diaz-Torres, 963 F.3d at 980 (quoting Reyes, 842 F.3d at

1137). The agency’s conclusion that Petitioners’ proposed particular social group

was not socially distinct is supported by substantial evidence, and thus resolves

their asylum and withholding of removal claims. See Villegas Sanchez v. Garland,

990 F.3d 1173, 1183 (9th Cir. 2021) (finding petitioner ineligible for asylum and

withholding of removal when proposed particular social group is not socially

distinct).

Petitioners’ arguments about their CAT claim and their alternate proposed

particular social group are not properly before us because Petitioners did not raise

them before the BIA. Petitioners failed to exhaust these claims, and we are

therefore barred from considering them. See 8 U.S.C. § 1252(d)(1); Shen v.

Garland, 109 F.4th 1144, 1157 (9th Cir. 2024) (“[Section 1252(d)(1)]’s exhaustion

requirement is a non-jurisdictional, but mandatory, claim-processing rule.”).

Though Petitioners raised a political opinion claim before the BIA, the BIA

declined to consider it because Petitioners had not raised it before the Immigration

Judge. We have the power to hear claims first brought before the BIA. See

Honcharov v. Barr, 924 F.3d 1293, 1295 (9th Cir. 2019) (per curiam). And the

4 23-3986 BIA “may apply a procedural default rule to arguments raised for the first time”

before it “on appeal” from an Immigration Judge. Id. at 1296. In any event,

Petitioners do not contest in their opening brief the BIA’s determination that the

political opinion claim was not properly before it, so that challenge is forfeited.

See Hernandez v. Garland, 47 F.4th 908, 916 (9th Cir. 2022) (holding that issues

not addressed “specifically and distinctly” in the opening brief are forfeited

(quoting Velasquez-Gaspar v. Barr, 976 F.3d 1062, 1065 (9th Cir. 2020))).

PETITION DENIED.2

2 The temporary stay of removal remains in place until the mandate issues. The motion for a stay of removal (Dkt. 2) is otherwise denied.

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