Case Explained: COREAS FLORES V. BLANCHE

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Filed: 2026-06-17 The Ninth Circuit denied the petition for review of a Board of Immigration Appeals order that dismissed Coreas Flores’s appeal after an Immigration Judge denied her applications for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT). The court applied de novo review to due process challenges and legal conclusions, while reviewing factual findings for substantial evidence. Regarding the due process claim concerning the denial of telephonic testimony from a witness named Blanca, the court held that no prejudice occurred because the Immigration Judge admitted a nearly seven-page letter from Blanca into evidence. Furthermore, the record did not support the claim that the judge curtailed Flores’s own testimony. On the merits, the court found substantial evidence supported the denial of asylum and withholding of removal because the record failed to compel the conclusion that the Salvadoran government was unable or unwilling to protect Flores from harassment by a man named Beto, noting she had not reported the conduct to authorities until Blanca did so in 2010. Similarly, the court found substantial evidence supported the denial of CAT protection as there was no indication public officials would acquiesce in future torture. Consequently, the petition is denied and the BIA’s decision stands. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.