Does the Attorney General have discretion to grant asylum to an applicant who is unable to return to his native country?

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Attorney General has discretion to grant asylum to an applicant who is unwilling to return to his native country because of past persecution or a well-founded fear of future persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. See 8 U.S.C. 1158(a), 1101(a)(42)(A). Past persecution and a well-founded fear of future persecution constitute separate grounds for establishing eligibility for asylum. Lopez-Galarza v. INS, 99 F.3d 954, 958 (9th Cir.1996).