Federal 7th Circuit Court
Civil Court
Immigration
Bd. did not err in denying alien’s application for withholding of removal based on his protected social group of “persons who face persecution by corrupt governmental and law enforcement authorities instigated by a politically connected spouse.” Alien’s proposed social group was not valid within meaning of statutes authorizing asylum and withholding of removal, since proposed social group needed to be linked by something more than individuals being persecuted. Moreover, record showed that alien’s wife hurt alien only out of personal animosity. Also, record did not support alien’s claim that he would be persecuted if forced to return to Mexico for imputed political opinion in opposition to or in support of his wife’s political party.