Esteban-Ramirez v. Bondi: Exclusion of “Witness to a Crime” as a Particular Social Group and Mandatory CAT Claim Exhaustion

Introduction

In Esteban-Ramirez v. Bondi, 22-6434 (2d Cir. Apr. 22, 2025), the Second Circuit denied review of a Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) decision affirming an Immigration Judge’s (IJ) denial of asylum, withholding of removal, and relief under the Convention Against Torture (CAT). Petitioners Fidelino Esteban-Ramirez, his wife, and their minor children—Guatemalan nationals—claimed they faced persecution on account of family membership and membership in the social group “witness to a crime.” They also sought CAT relief. The court addressed two principal issues: whether “witness to a crime” qualifies as a particular social group under asylum law and whether the CAT claim was properly exhausted before the BIA.

Summary of the Judgment

The petition for review was denied.
The court upheld the agency’s finding that the harm petitioners feared was motivated by personal revenge, not on account of a protected ground (family membership).
“Witness to a crime” was held not to be a cognizable particular social group for asylum purposes because it lacked sufficient social distinctness in Guatemalan society.
The CAT claim was found unexhausted in part—petitioners failed to challenge the likelihood element before the BIA—and thus was not considered.

Analysis

1. Precedents Cited

Xue Hong Yang v. U.S. Dep’t of Just., 426 F.3d 520 (2d Cir. 2005): Framework for reviewing BIA decisions as modified by an IJ.
Yan Chen v. Gonzales, 417 F.3d 268 (2d Cir. 2005): Standards for de novo review of legal questions and substantial evidence for factual findings.
Hong Fei Gao v. Sessions, 891 F.3d 67 (2d Cir. 2018): The “one central reason” standard for asylum and withholding of removal.
Ucelo-Gomez v. Mukasey, 509 F.3d 70 (2d Cir. 2007): Motive analysis distinguishing personal revenge from protected-ground persecution.
Acharya v. Holder, 761 F.3d 289 (2d Cir. 2014): Asylum viability when more than one motive exists, so long as one is a protected ground.
Matter of L-E-A-, 27 I. & N. Dec. 40 (BIA 2017): Family membership as a protected ground and its analysis.
Paloka v. Holder, 762 F.3d 191 (2d Cir. 2014): Criteria for a cognizable particular social group: immutability, particularity, and social distinctness.
Punin v. Garland, 108 F.4th 114 (2d Cir. 2024): Exhaustion requirement for CAT claims.

2. Legal Reasoning

The court applied a multi-step analysis to petitioners’ claims:

Asylum and Withholding of Removal:
- Petitioner must show past persecution or a well-founded fear of future persecution on account of a protected ground (8 U.S.C. § 1158(b)(1)(B)(i); 8 C.F.R. §§ 1208.13(a), (b), 1208.16(b)).
- The agency found that the uncle’s motive was personal gain and revenge, not family membership; any threat was tied to the petitioner’s having witnessed the murder, not his status as family.
- The proposed social group “witness to a crime” failed the social distinctness requirement—petitioners made no showing that witnesses to crimes in Guatemala form a socially recognized group.
Convention Against Torture (CAT) Relief:
- Petitioner must prove it is more likely than not that he will be tortured and that public officials will consent or acquiesce (8 C.F.R. §§ 1208.16(c)(2), 1208.18(a)(1)).
- The court enforced the mandatory exhaustion doctrine: petitioners devoted only three sentences in the BIA brief to CAT relief and failed to challenge the “likelihood” element.
- Because the two-part CAT inquiry requires both government acquiescence and likelihood of torture, and petitioners did not exhaust the chance of future torture, the CAT claim was not properly before the court.

3. Impact

This summary order, while non-precedential, underscores and clarifies several critical points in immigration jurisprudence:

It reaffirms that private actors motivated by personal revenge do not constitute persecution on account of a protected ground.
It tightens scrutiny of proposed social groups, emphasizing the “social distinctness” factor and requiring evidence that the group is recognized as distinct within the claimant’s society.
It highlights the imperative of fully exhausting CAT claims before the BIA; failure to address each element in the administrative proceedings forfeits judicial review of that element.

Complex Concepts Simplified

Particular Social Group: A category of persons sharing an immutable characteristic (e.g., gender, family ties), defined with specificity, and recognized by society as a discrete group.
One Central Reason Standard: For both asylum and withholding, a protected characteristic must be at least one central motive for persecution, even if other factors also play a role.
Substantial Evidence Review: A court defers to the agency’s factual findings unless no reasonable adjudicator could reach the same conclusion.
CAT Exhaustion Requirement: Claimants must present each argument and element of their torture claim to the BIA; unraised issues cannot be reviewed on appeal.

Conclusion

Esteban-Ramirez v. Bondi reinforces key parameters in asylum and CAT relief: personal motives of revenge do not implicate protected grounds, “witness to a crime” lacks the social distinctness necessary for a particular social group, and CAT claims must be fully exhausted before the BIA. Practitioners should note the rigorous application of these standards when crafting future claims for protection.