Ming Xia Lin v. Holder

09-1431-ag Lin v. Holder BIA Lamb, IJ A 098 350 535 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SECOND CIRCUIT SUMMARY ORDER 1 Rulings by summary order do not have precedential effect. Citation to a summary order filed on or 2 after January 1, 2007, is permitted and is governed by Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 32.1 3 and this court’s Local Rule 32.1.1. When citing a summary order in a document filed with this 4 court, a party must cite either the Federal Appendix or an electronic database (with the notation 5 “summary order”). A party citing a summary order must serve a copy of it on any party not 6 represented by counsel. 7 8 At a stated term of the United States Court of Appeals 9 for the Second Circuit, held at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan 10 United States Courthouse, 500 Pearl Street, in the City of 11 New York, on the 13 th day of April, two thousand ten. 12 13 PRESENT: 14 JOHN M. WALKER, JR., 15 BARRINGTON D. PARKER, 16 REENA RAGGI, 17 Circuit Judges. 18 _______________________________________ 19 20 Ming Xia Lin, 21 Petitioner, 22 23 v. 09-1431-ag 24 NAC 25 ERIC H. HOLDER JR., UNITED STATES 26 ATTORNEY GENERAL, BOARD OF IMMIGRATION 27 APPEALS, 28 Respondent. 29 ______________________________________ 1 FOR PETITIONER: Henry Zhang, New York, New York. 2 3 FOR RESPONDENT: Tony West, Assistant Attorney 4 General, Jamie M. Dowd, Senior 5 Litigation Counsel, Dana M. 6 Camilleri, Trial Attorney, Office of 7 Immigration Litigation, Civil 8 Division, United States Department 9 of Justice, Washington, D.C. 10 11 UPON DUE CONSIDERATION of this petition for review of a 12 Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) decision, it is hereby 13 ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the petition for review 14 is DENIED. 15 Petitioner Ming Xia Lin, a native and citizen of China, 16 seeks review of the March 16, 2009 order of the BIA 17 affirming the August 14, 2007 decision of Immigration Judge 18 (“IJ”) Elizabeth A. Lamb denying her application for asylum, 19 withholding of removal, and relief under the Convention 20 Against Torture (“CAT”). In re Ming Xia Lin, No. A 98 350 21 535 (B.I.A. Mar. 16, 2009), aff’g No. A 98 350 535 (Immig. 22 Ct. N.Y. City Aug. 14, 2007). We assume the parties’ 23 familiarity with the underlying facts and procedural history 24 in this case. 25 Under the circumstances of this case, we review the 26 IJ’s decision including the portions not explicitly 27 discussed by the BIA. Yun-Zui Guan v. Gonzales, 432 F.3d 2 1 391, 394 (2d Cir. 2005). The applicable standards of review 2 are well-established. 8 U.S.C. § 1252(b)(4)(B); see also 3 Xiu Xia Lin v. Mukasey, 534 F.3d 162, 165-66 (2d Cir. 2008). 4 Substantial evidence supports the agency’s adverse 5 credibility determination. The agency reasonably relied on 6 several discrepancies between Lin’s testimony and a letter 7 from her mother, as well as Lin’s demeanor, in finding her 8 not credible. Because Lin does not challenge these 9 findings, they stand as valid bases for the IJ’s adverse 10 credibility determination. See Shunfu Li v. Mukasey, 529 11 F.3d 141, 146-147 (2d Cir. 2008). 12 We also find no error in the findings that Lin does 13 challenge. The IJ reasonably found that there were 14 discrepancies within Lin’s testimony regarding the date that 15 she allegedly became pregnant and the date that she was 16 forced to have an abortion. In her brief, Lin argues that 17 the IJ ignored her explanation that she had a cold on the 18 date of her hearing and that she immediately corrected 19 herself after she gave the wrong date. Neither of these 20 arguments, however, would compel a reasonable fact-finder to 21 accept Lin’s explanation or disturb the IJ’s finding. See 22 Majidi v. Gonzales, 430 F.3d 77, 81 (2d Cir. 2005). 23 Ultimately, substantial evidence supports the IJ’s 3 1 adverse credibility determination. See 8 U.S.C. 2 § 1252(b)(4)(B); Xiu Xia Lin, 534 at 167. Therefore, the IJ 3 properly denied Lin’s application for asylum, withholding of 4 removal, and CAT relief because the only evidence that Lin 5 would be persecuted or tortured depended on her credibility. 6 See Paul v. Gonzales, 444 F.3d 148, 156 (2d Cir. 2006). 7 For the foregoing reasons, the petition for review is 8 DENIED. As we have completed our review, any pending motion 9 for a stay of removal in this petition is DISMISSED as moot. 10 Any pending request for oral argument in this petition is 11 DENIED in accordance with Federal Rule of Appellate 12 Procedure 34(a)(2), and Second Circuit Local Rule 34(b). 13 FOR THE COURT: 14 Catherine O’Hagan Wolfe, Clerk 15 16 17 4