Filed: Mar. 05, 2012
Latest Update: Feb. 22, 2020
Summary: 10-5157-ag Zheng v. Holder BIA Mulligan, IJ A089 252 073/074 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 (WIT
Summary: 10-5157-ag Zheng v. Holder BIA Mulligan, IJ A089 252 073/074 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..
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10-5157-ag
Zheng v. Holder
BIA
Mulligan, IJ
A089 252 073/074
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 A SUMMARY
ORDER MUST SERVE A COPY OF IT ON ANY PARTY NOT REPRESENTED BY COUNSEL.
1 At a stated term of the United States Court of Appeals
2 for the Second Circuit, held at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan
3 United States Courthouse, 500 Pearl Street, in the City of
4 New York, on the 5th day of March, two thousand twelve.
5
6 PRESENT:
7 DENNIS JACOBS,
8 Chief Judge,
9 DEBRA ANN LIVINGSTON,
10 DENNY CHIN,
11 Circuit Judges.
12 _______________________________________
13
14 DAN CHEN ZHENG, CHAO JIN TANG,
15 Petitioners,
16
17 v. 10-5157-ag
18 NAC
19 ERIC H. HOLDER, JR., UNITED STATES
20 ATTORNEY GENERAL,
21 Respondent.
22 ______________________________________
23
24 FOR PETITIONERS: Feng Li, Moslemi and Associates,
25 Inc., New York, New York.
26
27 FOR RESPONDENT: Tony West, Assistant Attorney
28 General; Cindy S. Ferrier, Senior
29 Litigation Counsel; Nairi S.
1 Gruzenski, Trial Attorney, Office of
2 Immigration Litigation, U.S.
3 Department of Justice, Washington
4 D.C.
5
6 UPON DUE CONSIDERATION of this petition for review of a
7 Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) decision, it is hereby
8 ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the petition for review
9 is DENIED.
10 Petitioners Dan Chen Zheng and Chao Jin Tang, natives
11 and citizens of China, seek review of the December 6, 2010,
12 decision of the BIA affirming the May 5, 2009, decision of
13 Immigration Judge (“IJ”) Thomas J. Mulligan, denying the
14 petitioners’ applications for asylum, withholding of
15 removal, and relief under the Convention Against Torture
16 (“CAT”). In re Dan Chen Zheng, Chao Jin Tang, Nos. A089 252
17 073/074 (B.I.A. Dec. 6, 2010), aff’g Nos. A089 252 073/074
18 (Immig. Ct. N.Y. City May 5, 2009). We assume the parties’
19 familiarity with the underlying facts and procedural history
20 in this case.
21 Under the circumstances of this case, we have reviewed
22 the IJ’s decision as modified by the BIA, i.e., minus the
23 arguments for denying relief that the BIA declined to
24 consider. See Xue Hong Yang v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, 426
25 F.3d 520, 522 (2d Cir. 2005). The applicable standards of
2
1 review are well-established. See 8 U.S.C. § 1252(b)(4)(B);
2 see also Xiu Xia Lin v. Mukasey, 534 F.3d 162, 165-66 (2d
3 Cir. 2008). For asylum applications governed by the REAL ID
4 Act, such as the application in this case, the agency may,
5 considering the totality of the circumstances, base a
6 credibility finding on an asylum applicant’s demeanor, the
7 plausibility of his account, and inconsistencies in his
8 statements, without regard to whether they go “to the heart
9 of the applicant’s claim.” 8 U.S.C. § 1158(b)(1)(B)(iii);
10 Xiu Xia
Lin, 534 F.3d at 163-64.
11 Substantial evidence supports the agency’s adverse
12 credibility determination. In finding petitioners not
13 credible, the agency reasonably relied in part on their
14 anxious and evasive demeanor while testifying about certain
15 aspects of their claim. See 8 U.S.C. § 1158(b)(1)(B)(iii);
16 see also Majidi v. Gonzales,
430 F.3d 77, 81 n.1 (2d Cir.
17 2005). Moreover, “[w]e can be still more confident in our
18 review of observations about an applicant’s demeanor where,
19 as here, they are supported by specific examples of
20 inconsistent testimony.” Li Hua Lin v. U.S. Dep’t of
21 Justice,
453 F.3d 99, 109 (2d Cir. 2006). Indeed, the
22 record supports the IJ’s determination that Tang’s demeanor
3
1 became evasive when he was questioned regarding the details
2 of Zheng’s hospital room, and during that testimony he
3 provided details that were inconsistent with Zheng’s
4 testimony. See id. Furthermore, although petitioners argue
5 that they should have been provided an opportunity to
6 explain an inconsistency in their testimony regarding
7 whether Tang ever returned to work following Zheng’s
8 abortion, the agency is not required to solicit explanations
9 for self-evident inconsistencies and petitioners fail to
10 suggest what explanation they would have proffered had they
11 been so questioned. See Ming Shi Xue v. BIA,
439 F.3d 111,
12 125 (2d Cir. 2006).
13 In addition, the agency reasonably questioned the
14 plausibility of certain aspects of petitioners’ testimony,
15 see 8 U.S.C. § 1158(b)(1)(B)(iii); see also Siewe v.
16 Gonzales,
480 F.3d 160, 168-69 (2d Cir. 2007) (holding that
17 an implausibility finding that is based on “speculation that
18 inheres in inference is not ‘bald’ if the inference is made
19 available to the factfinder by record facts, or even a
20 single fact, viewed in the light of common sense and
21 ordinary experience”), and noted the absence of letters or
22 testimony from Zheng’s relatives in the United States, see
23 Biao Yang v. Gonzales,
496 F.3d 268, 273 (2d Cir. 2007).
4
1 Thus, we find that the agency’s adverse credibility
2 determination provided an adequate basis for denying asylum,
3 withholding of removal, and CAT relief insofar as those
4 claims were based on the same factual predicate. See Paul
5 v. Gonzales, 444 F.3d 148, 156 (2d Cir. 2006).
6 For the foregoing reasons, the petition for review is
7 DENIED. As we have completed our review, any stay of
8 removal that the Court previously granted in this petition
9 is VACATED, and any pending motion for a stay of removal in
10 this petition is DISMISSED as moot. Any pending request for
11 oral argument in this petition is DENIED in accordance with
12 Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34(a)(2), and Second
13 Circuit Local Rule 34.1(b).
14 FOR THE COURT:
15 Catherine O’Hagan Wolfe, Clerk
16
17
5
