Case Explained: PAMELA MOROCHO-MOROCHO V. TODD BLANCHE

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Filed: 2026-08-11 The Ninth Circuit denied Pamela Morocho-Morocho’s petition for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ decision denying her applications for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture. The court applied a substantial evidence standard to the Agency’s factual findings and de novo review to legal determinations. The panel held that substantial evidence supports the BIA’s conclusion that the petitioner failed to establish the requisite nexus between the harm she suffered and a protected ground, as her own testimony conceded that her attacker targeted her for money rather than her membership in a particular social group. Furthermore, the court found no record evidence that “Ecuadorian women with family living in the United States” constitutes a cognizable particular social group because Ecuadorian society does not perceive them as socially distinct. The court also declined to consider new particular social group arguments raised for the first time in the petitioner’s opening brief because they were not exhausted before the administrative agencies. As a result, the petition is denied, though the temporary stay of removal remains in effect until the mandate issues. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.