Case Explained: MATEO-MATEO, ET AL. V. BLANCHE

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Filed: 2026-08-14 The ninth-circuit denied the petition for review regarding the claims for asylum and withholding of removal but granted the petition in part and remanded the case concerning the claim for protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT). The court held that substantial evidence supports the Immigration Judge’s finding that the petitioners failed to establish a nexus between the alleged harm and a protected ground, as the abuse was personal rather than motivated by membership in a particular social group. Regarding the CAT claim, the court found legal error because the agency failed to provide reasoned consideration of the evidence, specifically disregarding the petitioner’s testimony regarding escalating threats to kill, the conclusion that the father sent masked men to abduct the children, and the fact that thwarted abduction attempts can constitute torture through threatened severe physical pain. Consequently, the case is remanded for the agency to reevaluate the CAT claim in the first instance, and the petitioners’ motion to stay removal is granted pending the issuance of the court’s mandate. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.