Vargas’s family in pursuit of funds and not due to Vargas’s residence in the United States or his and his cousin’s government service. According to the police report filed by his sister, the callers did not mention Vargas or his cousin, he testified that neither he nor his family were politically active, and he had not been affiliated with the Mexican government for over 15 years. Moreover, the 2010 U.S. State Department travel warning and 2011 Embassy Notices note that kidnapping and extortion of wealthy Mexicans and foreigners is widespread across Mexico. As perceived wealth is not a protected ground, and general civil strife does not establish persecution, the agency did not err in denying asylum and withholding of removal. See Ucelo-Gomez v. Mukasey, 509 F.3d 70, 74 (2d Cir.2007) (<HOLDING>); Melgar de Torres v. Reno, 191 F.3d 307, 314
holding that an alien cannot claim asylum based on persecution that is personally motivated holding that harm purely motivated by wealth is not persecution holding that extortion motivated in part by political opinion could qualify as persecution holding that absent a pattern of persecution linked to the applicant persecution of family members is insufficient to demonstrate a wellfounded fear of persecution holding that to constitute persecution harm must be more than harassment