T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on a nd i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by N i nth C i r c ui tR ul e 36- 3. H on orabl e J ac k Z ou hary , U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctJudg e f or the N orthern ** D i s tr i c tof

O hi o, s i tt i ng by de s i gna t i on.

NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T
T A R IK C H O U G U I, P et i t i on er , v. E R I C H . H O L D E R J r ., A tto rn e y G e n e r a l, R e s p o n d e n t. N os . 07- 70313 a nd 07- 73131 A ge nc y N o. A 095- 296- 584
ME MOR AN DU M *

O n P e t i t i on f

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a n O r de rof

the B o a r d o f I m m ig r a tio n A p p e a ls A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d F e brua ry 7, 2011

P a s a d e n a , C a lif

o rn ia B e f or e : H A W K I N S a nd F I S H E R , C i r c ui tJ udge s , a nd Z O U H A R Y , D i s tr i c tJ udge * * T ari kC h o u g u i (“ C h o u g u i ”) seek s rev i ew o f th e B o ard o f Im m i g rat i o n A p p eal s’ ( “ B I A ” ) de ni a l of

hi s ( 1) m ot i on t o r e ope n on the ba s i s of i ne f f e c t i ve a s s i st an ce of
c o u n s e l, a n d ( 2 ) m o tio n to r e c o n s id e rh is c la im s f o r a s y lu m , w ith h o ld in g o f r e m o v a l,
a n d p r o te c tio n u n d e rth e C o n v e n tio n A g a in s t T o r tu r e ( “C A T ” )
. B e c a u s e th e B I A d id 

# FI LED FEB 18 2 011 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U
. S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

n o t a c t “a rb itr a r ily , irr a ti o n a l l y , o rc o n tr a ry to la w ” in d e n y in g th e s e m o tio n s , se e Moh am m ed v. G on zales , 40 0 F . 3d 78 5, 79 1 (9th C i r. 20 05 ), and sub st ant i al evi dence
su p p o rt s th e Im m i g rat i o n Ju d g e’ s (“ IJ”) u n d erl yi n g d en i al o f rel i ef , se e Kum ar v. G on zales , 444 F
. 3d 1043, 1049 ( 9th C i r . 2006) , the pe t i t i ons f orr e vi e w a r e de ni e d. T h e B I A a d o p te d th e I J ’s r e a s o n in g , s o w e r e v ie w b o th d e c is io n s . Se e N e had
v. Mukasey , 53 5 F . 3d 96 2, 96 6 (9th C i r. 20 08 ). T hrou gh ou tthe course of hi s r em ov al proceedi ng s, C ho ug ui re peat edl y repres ent ed t o the IJ that he fi rs tent er ed the U ni t ed S ta te s in 1 9 9 5 , r e tu rn e d to A lg e r iain 1 9 9 6 , s u f f e r e d p e r s e c u tio n a t th e h a n d s o f I s la m ic
e xtr e m i s t s on a c c ountof hi s pol i t i c a l a c t i vi t i e s a nd be l i e f s be tw e e n 1999 a nd 2000, a nd the n f l e d t o the U ni t e d S t a t e s on D e c e m be r31, 2000 t o s e e k a s y l um , f orw hi c h he
ap p lie d in J a n u a ry2 0 0 2
. A ft erthe go vernm entprod uced C alif orni a D epartm entof M ot or V ehi cl es
r e c or ds s how i ng C hougui ha d s ubm i tt e d ac ha nge of a ddr e s s f

orm i n 1999, C hou gui
a dm i tt e d, f

i r s tt o hi s a tt orne y , a nd the n t o the I J , tha the ha d i n fact n ev er l ef tthe
c o u n try a f

te re n te r in g in 1 9 9 5 . A lth o u g h C h o u g u i in s is te d th a t th e s u b s ta n c e o f h is cl ai m w as true a nd tha ta n o ta r io ha d a dvi s e d hi m t o f a l s i f y the da t e s on hi s a s y l um ap p l i ca t i on t o c i r c um ve ntthe one - y e a rt i m e ba r , the I J f ound tha thi s pe r s i s t e nt fab ri cat i o n s w en tt o th e h earto f h i s cla im a n d th ath i s ex p l an at i o n fo r th e fal se t e s t i m ony w a s notc r e di bl e . T he I J c onc l ude d tha tC hou g u i w as t i m e - ba rr e d f r om3

ap p l yi n g fo r asyl u m an d h ad n o t est ab l i sh ed ch an g ed o r ex trao rd i n ary ci rcu m st an ces, thathe w as no tcr edi bl e a nd fa i l ed t o est abl i sh pastpers ec ut i on or a w el l -f ou nd ed fe ar of f utur e pe r s e c ut i on i n a ny e ve nt , a nd tha the f a i l e d t o e s t abl i s h e l i gi bi l i ty f or
w ith h o ld in g o f

r e m o v a l o rC A T r e lie f

. T he B I A f

ound the I J ’ s a dve r s e c r e di bi l i ty de t e rm i na t i on w as su p p o r t e d by “s p e c if ic a n d c o g e n t r e a s o n s b a s e d o n th e r e c o r d ,” a n d w e a g r e e . Se e G u iv . I NS , 280 F .3 d 1 2 1 7 , 1 2 2 5 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 2 ) ; se e al so D hi talv. Mukasey , 5 3 2 F .3 d 1 0 4 4 , 1 0 5 1 ( 9 th C i r . 2008) ( pe t i t i one r ’ s pr ol onge d pe rpe tua t i on of al i e t hr oughoutpr oc e e di ngs p r o v id e d a“s p e c if

ic , c o g e n t r e a s o n ” f

o r f in d in g h im n o t c r e d ib le ) ; Kau r v . G on zales , 4 1 8 F .3 d 1 0 6 1 , 1 0 6 7 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 5 ) ( s a m e ) ; Fa r a h v . A s h c r o ft , 348 F . 3d 1153, 1156 ( 9th C i r . 2003) ( a d v e r s e c r e d ib ility f i n d in g w ill b e u p h e ld u n le s s th e r e c o r d c o m p e ls oth e rw i s e )
. Th e I J g a v e Ch o u g u i a n o p p o rtu n i ty t o e x p l a i n h i s f a l s e s t a t e m e nt s a nd
c o n s id e r e d th e m in lig h t o f a ll th e c ir c u m s ta n c e s . See D on v. G on zales , 476 F
. 3d 738, 74 1, 74 4 ( 9th C i r. 20 07 ); C ortez -P i neda v. H older , 61 0 F . 3d 11 18 , 11 24 -25 (9th C i r. 2 0 1 0 ) ; R i ve ra v. Mukasey , 508 F
. 3d 1271, 1275 ( 9th C i r . 2007)
. T hus , e ve n i f C hougui had est abl i shed changed circ um st ance s e xem pt i ng hi m fr om the st atut ory one-y ea r t i m e bar for as yl um , w hi ch he fa i l ed t o do, the IJ ’ s di sc re t i on ary deni al of as yl um w as adequat el y s up po rt ed by subst ant i al evi dence.4

W e a l s o c onc l ude tha ts ub st a nt i a l e vi de nc e s uppor t e d the I J ’ s de ni a l of
w i th h o l d i n g o f

r e m ova l a n d CA T r e l i e f , a s th e s e c l a i ms w e r e “ b a s e d o n th e s a me
s t a t e m e n t s . . . th a t th e [ I J ] d e te rm in e d to b e n o t c r e d ib le ” in th e a s y lu m c o n te x t, se e Far ah , 3 4 8 F .3 d a t 1 1 5 7 ; se e a l so A lm ag hzar v. G on zales , 4 5 7 F .3 d 9 1 5 , 9 2 1
- 2 2 ( 9 th C i r . 2006) , a nd the r e m a i nde rof the r e c or d, st a ndi ng a l one , doe s not“ c om pe l the concl usi on th at [C ho ug ui ] i s m ore l i kel y than n ott o b e” pers ec ut ed on ac coun tof a p r o te c te d g r o u n d o rto r tu r e d i f r e tu rn e d to A lg e r ia , s e e D hi tal , 532 F
. 3d a t1051 (i nt ernal qu ot at i on m ar k s and brac ket s om i tt ed). A l tho ug h C ho ug ui subm i tt ed
n ew sp ap er art i cl es d escri b i n g th e p ersecu t io n o f o th er A l g eri an p o l i t i cal si n g ers,
n o th i n g i n th e reco rd , o th er th an h i s o w n t est i m o n y an d affi d av i t s, i d en t i fi es h i m as a
m em b er o f

thi s s oc i a l gr oup orahol de rof a ny pa r t i c ul a rpol i t i c a l be l i e f s . I n the abse nce of any c orrobo ra t i ng evi dence re gardi ng C ho ug ui ’ s l i kel i ho od of fa ci ng t orture
orpe r s e c ut i on upon retu rn t o A l ge r i a , the I J ha d no ba s i s on w hi c h t o gr a nt
w i thh ol di ng or C A T re l i ef
. F i nal l y, C ho ug ui ’ s m ot i on t o reopen asks us no ton l y t o b el i eve hi s proff er ed
e x p la n a tio n f

o rly in g b u t a ls o to d e te rm in e th a t h e w a s d e n ie d d u e p r o c e s s in h is
re m ov al proceedi ng s a s are sul tof the n o ta r io ’s w ro n g in fo rm atio n an d h is co u n se l’ s al l eg ed fai l u re t o rem ed y th e m att er. C h o u g u i ’ s cl ai m i s w i th o u tm eri to n b o th co u n t s. A l th o u g h w e reco g n i ze th atth e ex p l o i t at i v e p ract i ces o f p red at o ry notar i os m ay , un der5

c e r ta in c ir c u m s t a n c e s , g iv e r is e to aF if th A m e n d m e n t v io la tio n , s e e , e . g. , Faj ardo v. I NS , 3 0 0 F .3 d 1 0 1 8 , 1 0 2 1
- 2 2 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 2 ) ; Va r e la v . I NS , 2 0 4 F .3 d 1 2 3 7 , 1 2 4 0 ( 9 th C i r. 20 00 ), any prej ud i ce that C ho ug ui m i gh thave suff er ed w as cure d w hen h e r et ai ned l e ga l c ouns e l , w ho a de qua t e l y r e pr e s e nt e d hi m a t e a c h I J he a r i ng. M or e ove r , C hougui hi m s e l f i s r e s p o n si b l e f

orw i thhol di ng c r i t i c a l i nf orm a t i on f

r om hi s a tt orne y , a nd he pr e s e nt s no e vi de nc e tha thi s a tt orne y ’ s pe rfo rm a nc e f e l l be l ow the “ w i de r a nge of
re as on abl e r epre se nt at i on ” thatpass es m ust ereven un der the S i xth A m endm ent , l et
a lo n e th e F if

th , b a s e d o n th e in f

o rm a tio n s h e h a d
. See T orres- Cha vez v . H

older , 567 F . 3d 10 96 , 11 01 (9th C i r. 20 09 ). C ho ug ui ’ s dec i si on t o rel y on the bad adv i ce of a
non- a tt orne y e ve n a ft er h av i ng r e t a i ne d l e ga l c ouns e l , a nd t o c ont i nue pe rpe tua t i ng a f r a ud on both hi s a tt orne y a n d t h e IJ, d oe s notr e nde rhi s r e m ova l pr oc e e di ng

“ fund am ent al l y unfai r. ” See M oh am m ed , 400 F
. 3d a t793. P E T I T I ON S DE NI E D.