Filed: Feb. 01, 2011
Latest Update: Feb. 21, 2020
Summary: [DO NOT PUBLISH] IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT _ FILED U.S. COURT OF APPEALS No. 10-12452 ELEVENTH CIRCUIT Non-Argument Calendar FEB 1, 2011 _ JOHN LEY CLERK Agency No. A088-411-360 BAUDILIO ADONIAS LOPEZ Y LOPEZ, lllllllllllllllllllll Petitioner, versus U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL, llllllllllllllllllll Respondent. _ Petition for Review of a Decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals _ (February 1, 2011) Before HULL, MARTIN and ANDERSON, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM: B
Summary: [DO NOT PUBLISH] IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT _ FILED U.S. COURT OF APPEALS No. 10-12452 ELEVENTH CIRCUIT Non-Argument Calendar FEB 1, 2011 _ JOHN LEY CLERK Agency No. A088-411-360 BAUDILIO ADONIAS LOPEZ Y LOPEZ, lllllllllllllllllllll Petitioner, versus U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL, llllllllllllllllllll Respondent. _ Petition for Review of a Decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals _ (February 1, 2011) Before HULL, MARTIN and ANDERSON, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM: Ba..
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[DO NOT PUBLISH]
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
________________________ FILED
U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
No. 10-12452 ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
Non-Argument Calendar FEB 1, 2011
________________________ JOHN LEY
CLERK
Agency No. A088-411-360
BAUDILIO ADONIAS LOPEZ Y LOPEZ,
lllllllllllllllllllll Petitioner,
versus
U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL,
llllllllllllllllllll Respondent.
________________________
Petition for Review of a Decision of the
Board of Immigration Appeals
________________________
(February 1, 2011)
Before HULL, MARTIN and ANDERSON, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:
Baudilio Adonias Lopez y Lopez seeks review of the Board of Immigration
Appeals’s (“BIA”) final order affirming the Immigration Judge’s (“IJ”) denial of
his application for withholding of removal under the Immigration and Nationality
Act (“INA”) and protection under the United Nations Convention Against Torture
and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (“CAT”).
Lopez argues that the BIA’s adverse credibility determination was not supported
by the record, and argues that he suffered persecution from gangs in Guatemala on
account of his religious beliefs.
We review only the BIA’s decision, except to the extent that it expressly
adopts the IJ’s opinion. Al Najjar v. Ashcroft,
257 F.3d 1262, 1284 (11th Cir.
2001). Because the BIA’s opinion in this case did not expressly adopt the IJ”s
opinion, we review only the BIA’s opinion.
We review administrative fact findings under the substantial evidence
standard, and must affirm the BIA’s decision if, viewing the evidence and
inferences therefrom in the light most favorable to the decision, it is supported by
reasonable, substantial, and probative evidence.
Id. at 1283-84; Adefemi v.
Ashcroft,
386 F.3d 1022, 1026-27 (11th Cir. 2004) (en banc). We will reverse a
finding of fact by the BIA only where the record compels reversal, not where it
merely supports a contrary conclusion.
Adefemi, 386 F.3d at 1027.
Under the REAL ID Act, a trier of fact may, “[c]onsidering the totality of
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the circumstances,” base a credibility determination on:
“the demeanor, candor, or responsiveness of the applicant or witness, the
inherent plausibility of the applicant’s or witness’s account, the consistency
between the applicant’s or witness’s written and oral statements (whenever
made and whether or not under oath, and considering the circumstances
under which the statements were made), the internal consistency of each
such statement, the consistency of such statements with other evidence of
record (including the reports of the Department of State on country
conditions), and any inaccuracies or falsehoods in such statements, without
regard to whether an inconsistency, inaccuracy, or falsehood goes to the
heart of the applicant’s claim, or any other relevant factor.”
8 U.S.C. § 1158(b)(1)(B)(iii) (codifying the REAL ID Act of 2005, Pub. L. No.
109-13, § 101, 119 Stat. 302). Inconsistent statements and contradictory evidence
are cogent reasons that can support an adverse-credibility finding. Matter of
S-M-J, 21 I. & N. Dec. 722, 729 (BIA 1997). An adverse credibility determination
does not excuse the IJ’s duty to consider other evidence produced by an asylum
applicant. Forgue v. U.S. Att’y Gen.,
401 F.3d 1282, 1287 (11th Cir. 2005).
However, as long as all the evidence submitted by an applicant is considered, the
IJ does not need to specifically address every piece of evidence presented. Tan v.
U.S. Att’y Gen.,
446 F.3d 1369, 1374 (11th Cir. 2006). But, the weaker an
applicant’s testimony, the greater the need for corroborative evidence. Yang v.
U.S. Att’y Gen.,
418 F.3d 1198, 1201 (11th Cir. 2005).
Under the INA, the Attorney General may not remove an alien to a country
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where it is more likely than not that the alien’s “life or freedom would be
threatened . . . because of the alien’s race, religion, nationality, membership in a
particular social group, or political opinion.” INA § 241(b)(3)(A), 8 U.S.C.
§ 1231(b)(3)(A). In the case of an application for withholding of removal, a
showing of past persecution on a protected ground generally raises a rebuttable
presumption that the alien “had a ‘well-founded fear of future persecution,’” and
shifts the burden to the government to show that conditions in the country have
changed, or that the alien could avoid a future threat through relocation.
Tan, 446
F.3d at 1375. To establish a well-founded fear of future persecution, an alien must
demonstrate that his fear of persecution is subjectively genuine and objectively
reasonable. Mendoza v. U.S. Att’y Gen.,
327 F.3d 1283, 1287 (11th Cir. 2003).
“The subjective component is generally satisfied by the applicant’s credible
testimony that he or she genuinely fears persecution.”
Id. (citation omitted).
“[T]he objective prong can be fulfilled either by establishing past persecution or
that he or she has a good reason to fear future persecution.”
Id. (internal quotation
marks and citation omitted).
To qualify for protection under the CAT, Lopez must establish that it is
more likely than not that he will be tortured upon repatriation. 8 C.F.R.
§ 208.16(c)(2). Torture is “any act by which pain or suffering, whether physical or
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mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person . . . for any reason based on
discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the
instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other
person acting in an official capacity.” 8 C.F.R. § 208.18(a)(1).
In this case, substantial evidence supported the BIA’s determination that
Lopez’s testimony was not credible. Lopez’s application for asylum and
withholding of removal did not mention any persecution on account of his
religion, and he testified at trial that he feared harm from the gangs because he was
not a member. Lopez also presented no evidence that the Guatemalan government
consented or acquiesced to the harm he allegedly suffered.
Upon review of the entire record on appeal, and after consideration of the
parties’ briefs, we deny the petition for review.
PETITION DENIED.
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