Perdomo v. Holder

Lesly Yajayra Perdomo ("Perdomo"), a native and citizen of Guatemala, petitions for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals ("BIA") affirmance of the immigration judges ("IJ") order denying asylum, withholding of removal, and relief under the United Nations Convention Against Torture ("CAT"). Perdomo sought asylum based on her fear of persecution as a young woman in Guatemala. Specifically, Perdomo argued that women were murdered at a high rate with impunity. The IJ denied the application because she found that young women in Guatemala were not a cognizable social group. The BIA affirmed, finding that a social group consisting of "all women in Guatemala" is over-broad and "a mere demographic division of the population rather than a particular social group."