2008 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 2-26-2008 

# S un v . Atty Ge n U SA P r e c e de nt i al or N on-P r e c e de nt i al : N on-P r e c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 06-3774

F o llow thi s and a dd it ion al work s at : http://d i git alc ommon s .l a w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2008

Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e and ope n a c c e s s b y the O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit at V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. It h as be e n a c c ept e d for inclusion in 2008 D e c i sion s b y an authori z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. F or mor e inform at ion, p le as e c ont a ct Be n j amin . C arl s on@l a

w . vi ll anova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " S un v . Atty Ge n U SA" (2008). 2008 D e cisio n s . P ape r 1525. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2008/1525NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT

_____________ N o. 06- 3774

_____________ J I N E N S UN a/k/ a J i nen Sun J i n E n Sun, Pet i t i oner v. A TTO RN EY G EN ER A L O F TH E U N I TED STA TES,

R es pondent Pet i t i on forR evi ew of an O r derof the U ni t ed St at es D epart m entof J us t i ce B o a rd o f Im m ig ra tio n A p p e a ls ( B I A N o. A 97- 669- 505) I m m i gr at i on J udge: H onor abl e D ani el M ei s ner Subm i t t ed U nderT hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

J anuary28, 2008 B efore: S C IR IC A , C hief J ud ge an d R E N D E L L , C i rcui tJudg es.

and R O D R I G U E Z , *D i s tr i ctJ udge. ( Fi l ed: February26, 2008) OPI NI ON O F THE COURT

* H onor abl e J os eph H . R odr i guez, Seni orJ udge of the U ni t ed St at es D i s tr i ctC our tfor th e D is tr ic t o f

N e w J e rs e y , s ittin g b yd e s ig n a tio n .2

R E N D E L L , C i r cui tJ udge. J i n E n Sun, a tw enty - s i x y earol d C hi nes e ci t i zen, pet i t i ons forr evi ew of a f i nal or derof the B oar d of I m m i gr at i on A ppeal s ( “B I A ”) , i n w hi ch the B I A adopt ed and a f f i r me d th e d e n i a l b yth e I mmi g r a t i o n J u d g e ( “ I J ” ) o f S u n ’ s a p p l i c a t i o n s f

o ra s y l u m, w ith h o ld in g o f

re m o v a l, a n d re lie f

u n d e r t h e C o n v e n tio n A g a in s t T o rt u re (“ C A T ” ). B e f o re th e IJ, S u n c laim e d th a t h e p ra c tice s F a lu n G o n g a n d th a t, on a c c o u n t o f h is pract i ce, he w as det ai ned , beaten, and i nterrogat ed b ythe C hinese poli ce fo r tw o m on ths. A ccor di ng t o Sun’ s t es t i m ony , he w as onl yr el eas ed fr om det ent i on aft erhe s i gned a documentpr om i s i ng t o cea s e hi s Fal un G ong act i vi t i es , and he i s now w ant ed bythe C h ines e p o li ce b ec au se h e su b seq u en tl yv iolated th is pro m ise. T h e IJ d en ied S u n ’s ap p li ca ti o n s b ec au se h e d id n o t fi n d S u n ’s t esti m o n yto b e c red ible. W e w il l den yS u n ’s p e tit io n f o r re v iew b e c a u se su b sta n tial e v id e n c e su p p o rts th is a d v e rse c re d ib ili ty det erm i nat i on. T o b e e lig ib le f

o r a s y lu m , a n a p p lic a n t m u s t d e m o n s tr a te th a t h e is a re f u g e e . See 8 U . S. C . §§ 1158( b) ( 1) ( A ) , 1101( a) ( 42) ( A ) . A r efuge e i s “a pe r s on unabl e orunw i l l i ng t o return t o the cou ntryof thatperson’s nat i on al i tyor habitual r esi den ce bec ause of past p e rse c u tio n o r b e c a u se o f a w e ll-fo u n d e d f

e a r o f f u tu re p e rse c u tio n o n a c c o u n t o f h is ra c e , re lig io n , n a tio n a lity, m e m b e rs h ip in a p a rt ic u la r s o c ia l g ro u p , o r p o litic a l o p in io n .” G a o v . A sh c ro

ft , 2 9 9 F .3 d 2 6 6 , 2 7 1 -7 2 ; s ee 8 U .S .C . § 1 1 0 1 (a )(4 2 )(A ). A re b u ttab le pr es um pt i on of a w el l - founded f earof futur e per s ecut i on ar i s es i f an a ppl i cantes t abl i s hes3

th a t h e s u f

f e re d p a s t p e rs e c u tio n . See 8 C . F. R . § 208. 13( b) ( 1) . A ppl i cant s “have the bur den of s uppor t i ng thei ras y l um cl ai m s thr ough cr edi bl e t es t i m ony . ” G ao , 299 F. 3d at 2 7 2 . W e h a v e j u r i s d i c t i o n t o r e v i e w t h e BI A’ s f i n a l o r d e rp u r s u a n tt o 8 U. S . C. § 1252( a) . Si nce the B I A adopt ed and a ffi r m ed the dec i s i on of the I J , w e r evi ew the d e c is io n o f

th e IJ . P ar t

yka v . A t t ’

y G en. , 417 F. 3d 408, 411 ( 3d C i r . 2005) . A s w e do w i th otherfi ndi ngs of fa ct , w e r evi ew an I J ’ s adver s e cr edi bi l i tydet erm i nat i on for s u b s ta n tia l e v id e n c e . G ao , 29 9 F . 3d at27 2. T herefore, w e m ustup ho l d an IJ ’s adv ers e c re d ib ili tyd e ter m in a tio n “ u n les s ‘a n yre a so n a b le a d ju d ica to r w o u ld b e c o m p e lled to concl ude t o the contr ary . ’ ” Id . a t 2 7 2 (q u o tin g 8 U .S .C . § 1 2 5 2 (b )(4 )(B )). D e sp ite th is hi ghl ydefe r ent i al s t andar d, “[a ] dver s e cr edi bi l i tydet erm i nat i ons bas ed on s pecul at i on or conj ectur e . . . ar e r ever s i bl e. ” Id . M or eover , w e have expl ai ned that“mi nor i ncons i s t enci es and mi noradmi s s i ons thatr evea l nothi ng aboutan as y l um appl i cant ' s fea r fo r his saf

etyare n o t an a d eq u ate b asis fo r an ad v erse cre d ibil ityfin d ing ”; rathe r, di s cr epanc i es i n an appl i cant ’ s t es t i m onym us ti nvol ve the “he artof the as y l um cl ai m . ” Id . a t 2 7 2 (i n te rn a l q u o ta tio n m a rk s o m itte d ). Sun ar gues on appea l thatthe I J ’ s adver s e cr edi bi l i tydet erm i nat i on w as not s uppor t ed bys ubs t ant i al evi dence . W e di s agr ee. T he I J bas ed hi s det erm i nat i on on num er ous i ncons i s t enci es betw een Sun’ s t es t i m onyatthe mer i t s hear i ng and hi s pr evi ous s ta te m e n ts th a t w e n t to th e h e a rt o f h is a s y lu m c la im .T he I J al s o emphasi zed the fa ctthatSun pr ovi ded dr as t i cal l ydi ffe r entdes cr i pt i ons of 1 (c o n tin u e d ...) 4 Fi r s t , Sun st at ed dur i ng hi s as y l um offi ceri nt ervi ew thathe pas s ed outFal un G ong fl y er s i n “s ecr et ” l ocat i ons ( A . R . 158) ; how ever , he t es t i fi ed athi s m er i t s hear i ng thathe di s tr i but ed fl y er s “w her e ther e w er e more peopl e ar ound, ” s uch as on the s tr eetand at tr a n s p o rt s ta tio n s (A .R . 6 4 ). Second, Sun st at ed i n det ai l dur i ng hi s as y l um offi ceri nt ervi ew thathe bel i eved he w as arr es t ed bec aus e the j eal ous boy fr i end of a w om an he ha d been s eei ng had r eport ed h im to th e p o lice ; h o w e v e r, h e f a iled to m e n tio n th is th e o rya t all d u rin g h is m e rits h e a ri n g . T hi r d, Sun st at ed dur i ng hi s as y l um offi ceri nt ervi ew thatthe C hi nes e author i t i es r el eas ed hi m beca us e hi s fami l ypai d a br i be, buthe neve rm ent i oned the br i be atthe m e rits h e a rin g . In ste a d , S u n e x p lain e d in h is a p p lica tio n f o r a sy lu m a n d a t h is m e rits h e a ri n g th a t h e w a s re le a s e d b e c a u s e h e s ig n e d a p ro m is e to s to p p ra c tic in g F a lu n G o n g . S u n a lso tes tifie d a t h is m e rits h e a rin g th a t h e w a s re lea se d b e c a u se th e g o v e rn m e n t d id n o t h a v e e n o u g h e v id e n c e a g a in s t h im . F o u rth , S u n sta ted in h is a sy lu m o f f ice r in ter v iew th a t after hi s r el eas e fr om det ent i on, he di s tr i but ed Fal un G ong fl y er s ; how ever , athi s m er i t s hear i ng, Sun t es t i fi ed thatbeca us e he f

ear ed w hatw oul d happen i f the governm entcaughthi m , he di d nothi ng re late d to F a lu n G o n g a f ter h is d e ten tio n e x c e p t f o r p ra c ticin g F a lu n G o n g e x e rc ise s la te atni ghtathi s par ent s ’ hom e. 1( . . . cont i nued) 1 hi s tr avel path t o the U ni t ed St at es . Forexampl e, i n hi s I - 589, Sun st at ed thathe tr avel ed thr ough s ever al A fr i can c ountr i es befor e boar di ng a pl ane f orM i ami . I n contr as t , Sun te s tif ie d d u ri n g h is m e ri ts h e a ri n g th a t h e h a d tr a v e le d n o n -s to p f ro m S in g a p o re to M ia m i. Si nce the i ncons i s t enci es pr evi ous l ydi s cus s ed ar e s uffi ci enton thei row n t o s uppor tt he I J ’ s adver s e cr edi bi l i tydet erm i nat i on, w e nee d notaddr es s w hetheran appl i cant ’ s t el l i ng of i ncons i s t ents t or i es r egar di ng hi s tr avel path t o the U ni t ed St at es goes t o the hea r tof h is a s y lu m c la im . Si nce the I J ’ s adver s e cr edi bi l i tydet erm i nat i on i s a s uffi ci enti ndepende ntbas i s for 2 d e n y in g S u n ’s a p p lica tio n s f o r re lief , w e n e e d n o t ad d re ss S u n ’s a rg u m e n t th a t h e sh o u ld have be en gr ant ed a gr eat eroppor tuni tyt o pr ovi de corr obor at i ng evi dence . Fur therm or e, i n hi s br i ef, Sun does notaddr es s the I J ’ s deni al of hi s appl i cat i on forr el i ef unde rthe C A T , s o n e ith e r w ill w e . 5 G iv e n th e se in c o n sis ten c ies , w e h o ld th a t th e IJ’ s c re d ib ili tyd e ter m in a tio n is s uppor t ed bys ubs t ant i al evi dence , and w e w i l l notdi s turb the deni al of as y l um . Si nce Sun fai l ed t o demonstr at e hi s el i gi bi l i tyforas y l um , he al s o “nec es s ar i l yfai l [ed] t o m eet th e s ta n d a rd f

o r w ith h o ld in g o f

re m o v a l,” w h ic h is m o re s tr in g e n t. L u kw a g o v . A sh c ro ft , 3 2 9 F .3 d 1 5 7 , 1 8 2 (3 d C ir . 2 0 0 3 ). F o r th e a b o v e re a so n s, w e w ill DE NY S u n ’ s p e t i t i o n f o rr e v i e w. 2

_____________