Glendy Lopez De Leon De Hernandez v. Todd Blanche

── Glendy Lopez De Leon De Hernandez v. Todd Blanche ── Court: Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit Date: May 12, 2026 Category: General United States Court of Appeals For the Eighth Circuit ___________________________ No. 25-1298 ___________________________ Glendy Amelida Lopez De Leon De Hernandez; A.I.H.L. Petitioners v. Todd Blanche,1 Acting Attorney General of the United States Respondent ____________ Petition for Review of an Order of the Board of Immigration Appeals ____________ Submitted: March 16, 2026 Filed: May 12, 2026 [Unpublished] ____________ Before SHEPHERD, ERICKSON, and GRASZ, Circuit Judges. ____________ PER CURIAM Guatemalan citizens Glendy Amelida Lopez De Leon De Hernandez and her minor child, A.I.H.L., petition for review of an order from the Board of Immigration 1 Todd Blanche was designated as Acting Attorney General of the United States and is substituted as Respondent pursuant Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 43(c). Appeals (“BIA”) dismissing their appeal of the Immigration Judge’s (“IJ’s”) denial of De Hernandez’s application for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture. Because substantial evidence supports the IJ’s adverse credibility determination, we deny the petition. On March 5, 2018, De Hernandez and A.I.H.L. entered the United States and were paroled into the country. After removal proceedings were initiated against them, De Hernandez filed the underlying application. 2 De Hernandez stated that her husband was physically abusive, forced her to have sexual relations with him, and threatened to kill her if she ever reported him to the police. In support of her application, De Hernandez filed affidavits from her brother, Edin Isaac Lopez De Leon, and two of her friends, Maria Antonieta Gomez Gomez and Liria Izabel Santos Cardona. De Leon and Cardona recounted an incident in 2016 where unknown men stole money from a bakery De Hernandez purportedly owned and attempted to extort more money from her by leaving three dead animals in front of the bakery. On February 11, 2022, the IJ held a merits hearing on De Hernandez’s application. Shortly before the hearing, De Hernandez filed a personal affidavit detailing the abuse she suffered at the hands of her husband. She also described abuse inflicted upon her by her parents starting at age 6 and sexual abuse she suffered around the ages of 12 to 17 from men who worked at her parents’ bakery. During the hearing De Hernandez testified and further elaborated on the abuse she suffered from her husband, parents, and the men who worked at the bakery as well as her attempts to leave her husband. Although the IJ believed De Hernandez “experienced some forms of violence and threats in Guatemala,” she specifically found De Hernandez did not testify credibly in support of her application. The IJ cited omissions and inconsistencies 2 A.I.H.L. was named as a derivative beneficiary of De Hernandez’s asylum claim. The “derivative” asylum statute permits a “spouse or child” of an applicant who qualifies for asylum to derive asylum through that applicant. 8 U.S.C. § 1158(b)(3)(A). -2- between her testimony and the documentary evidence. The IJ also questioned the reliability of the affidavits filed by De Hernandez’s brother and friends because they all bore the same date, were from the same attorney, and contained similar language. Without credible testimony supporting her application, the IJ determined De Hernandez had failed to me