139 F. 3d 903 - Sara Angulo-Cifuentes v. Immigration and Naturalization Service

MEMORANDUM*

Petitioner Sara Angulo-Cifuentes, a citizen of Guatemala, challenges the decision by the Board of Immigration Appeals ("BIA") affirming the decision of the Immigration Judge, who concluded that she was ineligible for asylum and withholding of deportation.1 We review the BIA's decision to determine whether it is supported by substantial evidence in the record, see Prasad v. INS, 83 F.3d 315, 317 (9th Cir.1996), and affirm.

Petitioner sought asylum on the ground that her association with her father and sister gave rise to a well-founded fear of future persecution. See 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(42)(A) (Supp.1997). Petitioner reported that her sister lived with a man whose brother was a guerrilla, although Guatemalan authorities did not persecute the petitioner or her sister as a result. Petitioner's father, now deceased, participated in union organizing activity about fifteen years ago. As a result, authorities kept him from working in his trade, but did not otherwise persecute him. The petitioner testified, however, that authorities did not persecute her as a result of her father's unionist activities, even though she remained in Guatemala for about ten years following that time. Moreover, nothing in the record suggests that the Guatemalan government, or any other group in that country, is either aware of or interested in the petitioner's familial ties.

Under these circumstances, we conclude that substantial evidence supports the BIA's ruling that the petitioner failed to demonstrate a well-founded fear of future persecution. Accordingly, the BIA's decision is

AFFIRMED.