CA1 on Persecution, Political Opinion: Rodríguez-Villar v. Barr

Rodríguez-Villar v. Barr

"It is bad enough when acts in the nature of persecution are employed to chill the free expression of political opinion. It exacerbates the problem though, when a reviewing tribunal turns such acts upside down and heralds their chilling effect as "proof" that no likelihood of persecution exists. Because the agency's decision in this case rests upon just such an error, we grant the petition for judicial review, vacate the decision below, and remand for further proceedings."

[Hats off to Kevin MacMurray!]