Filed: Dec. 09, 2015
Latest Update: Mar. 02, 2020
Summary: 14-3151 Jiang v. Lynch BIA A200 729 952 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SECOND CIRCUIT SUMMARY ORDER RULINGS BY SUMMARY ORDER DO NOT HAVE PRECEDENTIAL EFFECT. CITATION TO A SUMMARY ORDER FILED ON OR AFTER JANUARY 1, 2007, IS PERMITTED AND IS GOVERNED BY FEDERAL RULE OF APPELLATE PROCEDURE 32.1 AND THIS COURT=S LOCAL RULE 32.1.1. WHEN CITING A SUMMARY ORDER IN A DOCUMENT FILED WITH THIS COURT, A PARTY MUST CITE EITHER THE FEDERAL APPENDIX OR AN ELECTRONIC DATABASE (WITH THE NOTATION “SUMMA
Summary: 14-3151 Jiang v. Lynch BIA A200 729 952 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SECOND CIRCUIT SUMMARY ORDER RULINGS BY SUMMARY ORDER DO NOT HAVE PRECEDENTIAL EFFECT. CITATION TO A SUMMARY ORDER FILED ON OR AFTER JANUARY 1, 2007, IS PERMITTED AND IS GOVERNED BY FEDERAL RULE OF APPELLATE PROCEDURE 32.1 AND THIS COURT=S LOCAL RULE 32.1.1. WHEN CITING A SUMMARY ORDER IN A DOCUMENT FILED WITH THIS COURT, A PARTY MUST CITE EITHER THE FEDERAL APPENDIX OR AN ELECTRONIC DATABASE (WITH THE NOTATION “SUMMAR..
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14-3151
Jiang v. Lynch
BIA
A200 729 952
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE SECOND CIRCUIT
SUMMARY ORDER
RULINGS BY SUMMARY ORDER DO NOT HAVE PRECEDENTIAL EFFECT. CITATION TO A SUMMARY ORDER FILED
ON OR AFTER JANUARY 1, 2007, IS PERMITTED AND IS GOVERNED BY FEDERAL RULE OF APPELLATE
PROCEDURE 32.1 AND THIS COURT=S LOCAL RULE 32.1.1. WHEN CITING A SUMMARY ORDER IN A DOCUMENT
FILED WITH THIS COURT, A PARTY MUST CITE EITHER THE FEDERAL APPENDIX OR AN ELECTRONIC DATABASE
(WITH THE NOTATION “SUMMARY ORDER”). A PARTY CITING TO A SUMMARY ORDER MUST SERVE A COPY
OF IT ON ANY PARTY NOT REPRESENTED BY COUNSEL.
At a stated term of the United States Court of Appeals for
the Second Circuit, held at the Thurgood Marshall United States
Courthouse, 40 Foley Square, in the City of New York, on the
9th day of December , two thousand fifteen.
PRESENT:
RICHARD C. WESLEY,
PETER W. HALL,
CHRISTOPHER F. DRONEY,
Circuit Judges.
_____________________________________
JUNRAN JIANG,
Petitioner,
v. 14-3151
NAC
LORETTA E. LYNCH, UNITED STATES
ATTORNEY GENERAL,
Respondent.
_____________________________________
FOR PETITIONER: Xin Miao, Flushing, N.Y.
FOR RESPONDENT: Benjamin C. Mizer, Principal Deputy
Assistant Attorney General; Ernesto
H. Molina, Jr., Assistant Director;
Nancy N. Safavi, Trial Attorney,
Office of Immigration Litigation,
United States Department of Justice,
Washington, D.C.
UPON DUE CONSIDERATION of this petition for review of a
Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) decision, it is hereby
ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the petition for review is
DENIED.
Petitioner Junran Jiang, a native and citizen of China,
seeks review of an August 1, 2014 decision of the BIA denying
his motion to reopen. In re Junran Jiang, No. A200 729 952
(B.I.A. Aug. 1, 2014). We assume the parties’ familiarity with
the underlying facts and procedural history in this case.
We review the BIA’s denial of a motion to reopen for abuse
of discretion, and review any findings regarding changed
country conditions for substantial evidence. Jian Hui Shao v.
Mukasey,
546 F.3d 138, 168-69 (2d Cir. 2008). An alien may move
to reopen within 90 days of the final administrative decision.
8 U.S.C. § 1229a(c)(7)(C)(i); 8 C.F.R. § 1003.2(c)(2). This
time limitation does not apply if Jiang established changed
country conditions in China by submitting material evidence
that was not available at his previous hearing. 8 U.S.C.
§ 1229a(c)(7)(C)(ii).
There is no dispute that Jiang’s motion to reopen was
untimely by approximately four years, and so he needed to
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present reliable evidence of changed country conditions to
support his claim that the Chinese government will persecute
him for practicing Christianity.
Jiang argues that the BIA failed to attribute proper weight
to the country reports in the record. However, the BIA
discussed and cited these reports, finding that they
demonstrated that the Chinese government “continues to allow
the practice of Christianity, although there have been some
reports of the detention of some leaders of underground, or
‘house,’ churches and harassment of some church members.” A
review of the three reports in the record confirm the BIA’s
finding, and the BIA was not compelled to conclude that this
evidence reflected a change in conditions material to Jiang’s
claimed fear of harm. See Jian Hui
Shao, 546 F.3d at 171.
Although Jiang states that conditions have worsened and
relies on a 2010 country report, this report was not made part
of the record. As it is Jiang’s burden to present evidence
supporting his motion, 8 U.S.C. § 1229a(c)(7)(B); 8 C.F.R.
§ 1003.2(c)(1), he cannot fault the BIA for not considering a
report that was never submitted for its review.
Jiang also argues that the BIA erred by attributing
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diminished weight to documents submitted in support of his
motion. In particular, the BIA discounted the letter and
documents from Jiang’s friend, Hai Yu, because the letter was
created for this litigation and was from an interested witness
not subject to cross-examination, and the documents were not
authenticated in any manner. The BIA also considered the
underlying adverse credibility determination in Jiang’s
underlying proceedings. The BIA acted well within its
discretion. See H-L-H- & Z-Y-Z-, 25 I. & N. Dec. 209, 215
(B.I.A. 2010) (according diminished weight to letters from the
alien’s friends because they were interested witnesses not
subject to cross-examination and the letters were created for
the purpose of litigation), remanded on other grounds by Hui
Lin Huang v. Holder,
677 F.3d 130 (2d Cir. 2012). Although the
agency may err in rejecting a government document solely based
on a failure to authenticate it under the regulations, see Cao
He Lin v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice,
428 F.3d 391, 404-05 (2d Cir.
2005), it does not err where, as here, it discounts documentary
evidence for failure to authenticate by any means and there are
“legitimate concerns” about the applicant’s credibility, see
Qin Wen Zheng v. Gonzales,
500 F.3d 143, 148 (2d Cir. 2007).
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Jiang also argues that the BIA did not provide “any
independent consideration” of his CAT claim. The BIA, however,
explicitly denied CAT relief because Jiang’s evidence was
insufficient to establish his prima facie eligibility for CAT
relief. Jiang’s claim is, therefore, meritless. See also
Lecaj v. Holder,
616 F.3d 111, 119-20 (2d Cir. 2010).
For the foregoing reasons, the petition for review is
DENIED.
FOR THE COURT:
Catherine O=Hagan Wolfe, Clerk
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