Holding that central to the asylum statute is that persecution must be on account of a statutorily protected ground, making the assailant's "motive critical"
Holding that the omission of two collateral incidents is insufficient to support an adverse credibility determination where "there were no contradictions between the information set forth in the application and his testimony"
Holding that the BIA did not err in finding that Abdel did not suffer past persecution and considering in this determination that the beatings he received were not characterized as "severe"
Holding that ineffective representation did not result in prejudice because alien could not establish a prima facie showing that he was entitled to a grant of asylum under 8 U.S.C. § 1158
Finding that alien's "own allegations make clear that his fear is grounded in nothing more than the generally violent conditions extant in El Salvador" and rejecting the notion that assertions of "general violence alone can satisfy the requirement of an individualized threat of persecution"
8 U.S.C. § 1101 Cited 16,715 times 91 Legal Analyses
Finding notice and comment rulemaking is required for the agency's interim rule recognizing fear of coercive family practices as basis for refugee status