FILED
NOT FOR PUBLICATION DEC 28 2012
MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS U .S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS
FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
ISABEL LOPEZ-RAMIREZ; DUBIA No. 10-72845
MARIBEL MARTINEZ LOPEZ,
Agency Nos. A070-933-788
Petitioners, A079-525-727
v.
MEMORANDUM *
ERIC H. HOLDER, Jr., Attorney General,
Respondent.
On Petition for Review of an Order of the
Board of Immigration Appeals
Submitted December 19, 2012 **
Before: GOODWIN, WALLACE, and FISHER, Circuit Judges.
Isabel Lopez-Ramirez and Dubia Maribel Martinez Lopez, natives and
citizens of Guatemala, petition for review of a Board of Immigration Appeals’
order dismissing their appeal from an immigration judge’s decision denying their
*
This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent
except as provided by 9th Cir. R. 36-3.
**
The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision
without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2).
application for asylum. We have jurisdiction under 8 U.S.C. § 1252. We review
for substantial evidence, Gu v. Holder, 454 F.3d 1014, 1018 (9th Cir. 2006), and
we deny the petition for review.
Contrary to Lopez-Ramirez’s contention, substantial evidence supports the
agency’s finding that the incident in which she was hit on the head with a gun did
not rise to the level of persecution. See id. at 1020. Substantial evidence also
supports the agency’s determination that Lopez-Ramirez failed to establish a nexus
between her past experiences, or her fear of future harm, and a protected ground.
See Sangha v. INS, 103 F.3d 1482, 1489-91 (9th Cir. 1997) (no evidence petitioner
was persecuted on account of an actual or imputed political opinion). Lopez-
Ramirez’s fear of future persecution is also undermined by her return trip to
Guatemala. See Hakeem v. INS, 273 F.3d 812, 816 (9th Cir. 2001) (claim of
persecution upon return is undermined when petitioner has returned to native
country without incident). Accordingly, Lopez-Ramirez’s asylum claim fails.
PETITION FOR REVIEW DENIED.
2 10-72845