⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

The Ninth Circuit hears a Mexican woman's claims for asylum and withholding of removal—protection against being sent back to Mexico. A man promised her work and a place to stay, then raped her. An immigration judge denied her claims, and the Board of Immigration Appeals agreed. The agency treated the assault as a crime of opportunity, not persecution because she belonged to the proposed social group, Mexican women. This argument focuses on nexus: the required connection between harm and a legally protected ground. The judges ask whether the evidence compels a finding that the attacker targeted her because she was a Mexican woman. The agency assumed that the proposed group legally qualifies, so the dispute here is over the attacker's motive.

Albarran Jaimes, et al. v. Blanche (No. 25-3142) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, argued October 5, 2026.