Court Says Gangster Not Entitled To Refugee Status
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A federal appeals court has ruled that a Los Angeles gang member, a legal immigrant from El Salvador who was ordered deported because of several felony convictions, is not entitled to humanitarian refugee status because of fears that he will be targeted by rivals in his home country.
Jean Pierre Arteaga, who came to the U.S. with his parents at age 4, argued that the gang tattoos that cover much of his body would mark him for persecution and possibly torture by rival gang members while he was temporarily detained by authorities in El Salvador. He said that the tattoos entitled him to “special group” status.
But the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected his argument, saying Arteaga could provide no evidence of his claims. Earlier, he unsuccessfully pleaded his case before an immigration judge and the Board of Immigration Appeals.
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(Posted on December 31, 2007)