UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT

________________ _________________ ABDALLAH KARIM, Petitioner,

v. MERRICK B. GARLAND, United States Attorney General, Respondent. No. 22-9507 (Petition for Review)

________________ _________________ ORDER AND JUDGMENT *

________________ _________________ Before HOLMES , Chief Judge, HARTZ , and ROSSMAN , Circuit Judges.

________________ _________________ Abdallah Karim, a native and citizen of Gh ana, petitions for review of a Board of Immigration Appeals’ (BIA ) decision affirming an immi gration judge’s (IJ) denial of asylum, restriction on removal, a nd protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT). The IJ denied relief after finding Mr. Karim’s testimony was not credible. The BIA dismissed his appeal. Exercising jurisdic tion under 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(1), we deny the petition for revi ew. As explained below, the adverse

* After examining the briefs and appella te record, this pa nel has determined unanimously to honor the parties’ request for a decision on the briefs without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(f); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is therefore submitted without oral argument. This or der and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the doctrines of la w of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. It may be cited, however, for its persuasive value consistent with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1 and 10th Cir. R. 32.1. FILED United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit 

### January 11, 2023 Christopher M. Wolpert Clerk of Court Appellate Case: 22-9507 Document: 010110795816 Date Filed: 01/11/2023 Page: 12 credibility finding is supporte d by substantial evidence re vealing inconsistencies, not only between Mr. Karim’s tes timony and the documentary evidence, but also in his explanations attempting to r econcile those discrepancies.
I Mr. Karim entered the United States on August 16, 2011, and surrendered to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer s. The next day, he gave a sworn statement, indicating he spoke English and understood he could be subject to civil and criminal penalties for faili ng to tell the truth. Furthe r, he swore his answers were true and complete. In his sworn statement, Mr. Karim indi cated he is a Sunni Muslim who was born in Ghana. He said he had four brot hers and sisters and fl ed Ghana because he was being threatened by a group called the “Land Guard.” Admin. R. at 286. He stated the Land Guard wanted to kill hi m and they had tortured his brother. The government charged Mr. Karim with being removable as a noncitizen who lacked valid entry documents at the time of his application for admission to the United States. See 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(7)(A)(i)(I). He conceded the charge, but applied for asylum, restriction on removal, and CAT relief. He claimed to fear harm in Ghana based on his political opinion for exposing the Land Guard’s corrupt activities. During removal proceedings, Mr. Karim a ppeared before an IJ with counsel and indicated his “best language” was English. Admin. R. at 76. However, he later appeared for another hearing with counsel a nd requested an interpreter, indicating he Appellate Case: 22-9507 Document: 010110795816 Date Filed: 01/11/2023 Page: 23 spoke English but his “bes t language [was] Hausa,” id. at 90. Ultimately, the IJ conducted Mr. Karim’s merits hearing through an interprete r, although at one point, his counsel paused to remind him to sp eak in Hausa rather than English. Id. at 194. During his merits hearing, Mr. Karim te stified that the La nd Guard is a group in Ghana hired by local chiefs to fight ove r land that does not belong to them. He first spoke out against the Land Guard in Se ptember 2010 at a “lorry park,” “where taxis come and . . . transport people around [the] area[.]” Id. at 152. He twice spoke at the lorry park, the second time before a crowd of forty to fifty people. The Land Guard had been recruiting you ng men, telling them the Land Guard’s work was not dangerous. But Mr. Karim told the men th e Land Guard was lying to them and they should resist their recruitm ent efforts. He told th e crowd the Land Guard was responsible for killing two police officers, and he reminded them that their Muslim faith forbade the Land Guard’s activities. Mr. Karim further testified that after his second speech at the lorry park, four or five members of the Land Guard followe d him as he walked home. They accused him of exposing their activities , which they told him were none of his business. One of the men struck Mr. Karim on the back of his right shoulder with a stick decorated with metal. When he turned to confront the man, another man stabbed him in the abdomen with a pocketknife. Mr. Karim scre amed for help and fell unconscious. He regained consciousness at a hospital and discovered his st ab wound had been treated and stitched. He submitted into evidence a hospital record documenting the stabbing. Appellate Case: 22-9507 Document: 010110795816 Date Filed: 01/11/2023 Page: 34 On cross-examination, the government questioned Mr. Ka rim about several inconsistencies and omissions in his testimony. The government noted his testimony that he was stabbed after giving a public sp eech about the Land Guard at a lorry park differed from his hospital record, which i ndicated he reported be ing “attacked by [a] mob at a mosque during a preaching session,” id. at 572. Mr. Karim explained that he falsely told the hospital staff he was attacked at a mosque during a preaching session because he knew the hospital gave more attention to “anything that involved religious conflict or religious violence.” Id. at 215. He stated he wanted to ensure he received the necessary medical attention and if he had told them he was attacked by a mob on his way home, the hospital staff woul d start asking questions that could delay treatment. The government pointed out, how ever, that an affidavit from Mr. Karim’s friend, Ahmed Abubakar, indi cated he had been attacked by a mob while preaching about Islamic fundamentalism. See id. ; see also id. at 574 (Abubakar aff., Apr. 3, 2012). Mr. Karim replied that his speech tried to relate the Land Guard’s activities to Islamic fundamentalism. He fu rther testified that if he had not told the hospital he was attacked at a mosque, they might have denied him treatment. The IJ later asked why he would have been c oncerned with getting treatment if his stab wound had already been stitched, to which Mr. Ka rim replied he thou ght he might need additional treatment. The government also questioned why Mr . Karim’s sworn statement to the CBP officer indicated he had four brothers and sisters, yet his amende d asylum application listed only two sisters. Mr. Karim explaine d he has two sisters, and he listed two Appellate Case: 22-9507 Document: 010110795816 Date Filed: 01/11/2023 Page: 45 extended family members as brothers. He identified his cousin, Suleman Karim, as a brother because they are very close. The government aske d which brother he claimed had been tortured and why he omitted any mention of the alleged torture from his direct testimony. Mr. Karim replied that he was referring to Suleman, whom his mother had incorrectly told him had been to rtured. He explained that “older folks give narratives,” id. at 211, and “she was just trying to say all sort[s] of things to me,” id. at 213. He testified that when he spoke to Suleman, however, Suleman clarified that he had not been tortured, only threatened. On redirect, Mr. Karim’s attorney asked what specifical ly his mother told him th at made him think Suleman had been tortured. Mr. Ka rim testified that she told him the Land Guard “came and threatened your brother,” saying they woul d do to Suleman what they had done to him, which he understood to mean “an attack.” Id. at 227. Following the hearing, Mr. Karim submitte d a second affidavit from his friend, Ahmed Abubakar, and an affidavit from hi s cousin Suleman. These affidavits ostensibly attempted to reconcile some of the discrepancies between Mr. Karim’s testimony and the documentary evidence. Ahmed Abubakar’s second affidavit indicated Mr. Karim “was attacked by an unknown mob/gang” while “he was preaching at a small mosque at the . . . lo rry station against Islamic Fundamentalism and illegal activities of land guards.” Id. at 265 (Abubakar af f., Oct. 24, 2018). Suleman’s affidavit indicated he attended Mr. Karim’s “ public sermon” about “the menace of land-guards” and “ youth fleeing to join terroris t[] groups in neighboring West African countries.” Id. at 268 (Suleman Karim aff., Aug. 28, 2018). It further Appellate Case: 22-9507 Document: 010110795816 Date Filed: 01/11/2023 Page: 56 indicated the public sermon was at a “lorry station” and “market square/mosque,” and after Suleman left, he learned Mr. Karim had been “attacked by a section of angry Land-guard.” Id. The IJ admitted these additional affidavi ts but found “[g]la ring discrepancies” between Mr. Karim’s testimony and the documentary evidence he provided to substantiate “the central even t of harm in his story.” Id. at 71. In particular, the IJ pointed out the difference between, on one hand, Mr. Karim’s testimony that he had been attacked and stabbed by four or fi ve members of the Land Guard after speaking out against them at the lorry park, and on the other hand, his hospital record, which indicated he had been attacked by a mob while preaching at a mosque. The IJ acknowledged Mr. Karim admitted lying to the hospital to obtain quicker, better treatment. But the IJ f ound this explanati on dubious because Ahmed Abubakar’s first affidavit indicated Mr. Karim actuall y had been attacked by a mob or a gang while preaching about Isla mic fundamentalism. The IJ recognized Mr. Karim attempted to reconcile the discrepancy by providing the additional affidavits from Ahmed Abubakar and Suleman, but the IJ no ted the additional affidavits were filed after the hearing where the discrepancies were scrutini zed. The IJ acknowledged it was possible Mr. Karim’s speech about the Land Guard included religious components, but the IJ questioned why he would not have simply said it included religious components when confronted w ith the discrepancy between his testimony and the medical record. Instead, the IJ observed, Mr. Karim testified that he Appellate Case: 22-9507 Document: 010110795816 Date Filed: 01/11/2023 Page: 67 fabricated the religious component to obtain faster, better treatment. The IJ found the affidavits did not re habilitate this conf licting explanation. The IJ cited other inconsistences as well. The IJ ques tioned why Mr. Karim testified that he fabricated the story about being attack ed at a mosque to receive treatment when he already ha d been treated. The IJ r ecognized he thought he might need additional treatment, but the IJ found that explanation unpe rsuasive and did not resolve the inconsistency with the additional affidavits, wh ich indicated he had been preaching, at least in part, about religion at a mosque. The IJ also mentioned inconsistencies between Mr. Karim’s testimony and the sworn statement he gave to the CBP officer. While Mr . Karim’s sworn statement indicated his brother had been tortured, the IJ observed, Mr. Karim testified on cross-examination that his cousin, not his br other, was threatened , not tortured. The IJ acknowledged Mr. Karim’s e xplanations about re ferring to his cousin Suleman as his brother and being misinformed by his mother that Suleman was tortured. But the IJ found that, rather than clarify the disc repancies, Mr. Karim changed his testimony on redirect by stating his mother told him Suleman had merely been threatened. Based on these inconsistencies, the IJ found Mr. Karim was not credible and determined the other evidence fa iled to satisfy the standard s for asylum or restriction on removal. Likewise, the IJ concluded Mr. Ka rim’s failure to present credible evidence of torture precluded his CAT claim. Accordingly, the IJ denied relief and ordered him removed to Ghana. The BIA upheld the adverse credibility finding, Appellate Case: 22-9507 Document: 010110795816 Date Filed: 01/11/2023 Page: 78 concluded the other evidence failed to sati sfy the standards for relief, and dismissed the appeal. Mr. Karim now seeks review.
II A. Standards for Relief To obtain asylum, an app licant must establish they are a “refugee” as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(42), and then obtai n a discretionary grant of relief. See 8 U.S.C. § 1158(b)(1)(A); Diallo v. Gonzales , 447 F.3d 1274, 1282 n.4 (10th Cir. 2006). “To obtain . . . restriction on remova l, an applicant must show that his [or her] ‘life or freedom would be threatened in the proposed country of removal because of [their] race, religion, na tionality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.’” Ismaiel v. Mukasey , 516 F.3d 1198, 1204 (10th Cir. 2008) (brackets omitted) (quoting 8 U.S.C. § 1231(b)(3)(A)). A nd to obtain CAT relief, an applicant must demonstrate “‘ it is more likely than not that he or she would be tortured if removed to the pr oposed country of removal.’” Id. (quoting 8 C.F.R. § 1208.16(c)(2)). The burden of proof necessa ry to satisfy all three standards may be satisfied by an applicant’s credible testimony alone. See 8 U.S.C. § 1158(b)(1)(B)(ii) (asylum); id. § 1231(b)(3)(C) (restriction on re moval); 8 C.F.R. § 1208.16(c)(2) (CAT relief). B. Standard of Review “This court reviews the BIA’s legal de terminations de nov o and its factual findings under a substantia l-evidence standard.” Igiebor v. Barr , 981 F.3d 1123, 1131 (10th Cir. 2020) (brackets and internal quotation marks omitted). “Credibility Appellate Case: 22-9507 Document: 010110795816 Date Filed: 01/11/2023 Page: 89 determinations are factual fi ndings . . . subject to the s ubstantial evidence test.” Id. at 1132 (internal quotation marks omitted). Th e Supreme Court has instructed “that a reviewing court must accept ‘administra tive findings’ as ‘conc lusive unless any reasonable adjudicator would be compelle d to conclude to the contrary.’” Garland v. Ming Dai , 141 S. Ct. 1669, 1677 (2021) (quoting 8 U.S.C. § 1252(b)(4)(B)). “This is a highly deferential standard.” Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). “Under this standard, we do not weigh evidence or inde pendently assess cred ibility; rather, even if we disagree with the BIA’s conclusions, we will not reverse if they are supported by substantial evidence and are substantially reasonable.” Htun v. Lynch , 818 F.3d 1111, 1119 (10th Ci r. 2016) (brackets and intern al quotation marks omitted). Where, as here, the BIA is sues an opinion by a single member affirming the IJ, “we will not affirm on grounds raised in th e IJ decision unless they are relied upon by the BIA in its affirmance.” Uanreroro v. Gonzales , 443 F.3d 1197, 1204 (10th Cir. 2006). “However, when seeking to understa nd the grounds provided by the BIA, we are not precluded from consulti ng the IJ’s more complete explanation of those same grounds.” Id. C. Discussion Based on the record before us, we cannot say any reasonable adjudicator would be compelled to find Mr. Karim cr edible. We note Mr. Karim’s hospital record appears to substantiate his allegation that he was stabbed for making some sort Appellate Case: 22-9507 Document: 010110795816 Date Filed: 01/11/2023 Page: 910 of public pronouncement. 1 Nonetheless, the BIA determ ined there was no clear error in the IJ’s adverse credib ility finding, which was predi cated on specific, cogent reasons. Prime among them, the BIA recogni zed, was that his testimony that he was attacked after speaking out ag ainst the Land Guard at the lo rry park was inconsistent with his hospital record, which indicated he reported being atta cked by a mob while preaching at a mosque. This was a perm issible basis for discounting Mr. Karim’s credibility under the appli cable legal standards. See Niang v. Gonzales , 422 F.3d 1187, 1193, 1201 (10th Cir. 2005) (upholding adverse cr edibility finding based in part on discrepancy between noncitizen’s testimony regard ing her age when she was attacked and a letter fro m her doctor indicating nonc itizen reported she was a different age at the time sh e was attacked). Although Mr . Karim tried to explain he fabricated the story about being attacked while preaching at a mosque, the BIA recognized this explanation co nflicted with Ahmed Abubaka r’s first affidavit, which indicated Mr. Karim actuall y had been preaching about Islamic fundamentalism. This is substantial eviden ce supporting the adverse credibility determination. See Igiebor , 981 F.3d at 1135 (concluding that adverse credibility finding was supported by substantial evidence because noncitizen’s explanation “only created further questions as to his honesty”).

1 The government does not specifically dispute Mr. Karim was beaten and stabbed, but it does argue that because he was found “to be not credible, his testimony and statements in the record should be treated as allegations.” Resp. Br. at 2. The government’s argument does not qu estion the hospital record, which indicates he was treated for a stab wound sustai ned while making a public pronouncement. Appellate Case: 22-9507 Document: 010110795816 Date Filed: 01/11/2023 Page: 1011 Still, Mr. Karim maintain s he was speaking about both the Land Guard and religion when he was attacked, which he says is corroborated by the additional post-hearing affidavits he submitted from Ahmed Abubakar and Suleman. He points out the IJ gave these affida vits full weight, but he cont ends the IJ rejected them without giving specific, cogent reasons for doing so. Th e record shows otherwise, however. As the BIA explained, the IJ ga ve full weight to the affidavits, which indicated Mr. Karim had been speaking about the Land Guard and religion at a mosque located at a lorry pa rk. The IJ acknowledged th ese affidavits might have resolved some inconsistencie s, but they did not reconc ile Mr. Karim’s explanation that he fabricated the religious aspect of hi s story to obtain faster, better treatment at the hospital. Indeed, contra ry to his explanation that he fabricated the religious aspect of his story, the af fidavits indicate his speech did compare the Land Guard to religious fundamentalists. The affidavits thus support the adverse credibility finding. Mr. Karim also contends the IJ provided deficient reasoning for rejecting his explanation that he fabricated the religious aspect of his story to ensure he received better, faster treatment. But the IJ poi nted out Mr. Karim had already received stitches and his explanation that he thoug ht he might need additional treatment was unpersuasive. The BIA determined the IJ did not clearly err in rejecting this explanation. See Kabba v. Mukasey , 530 F.3d 1239, 1245-46 (10th Cir. 2008) (recognizing the BIA reviews an IJ’s credib ility findings for clear error and “where there are two permissible views of the evid ence, . . . the factfi nder’s choice between them cannot be clearly erroneous” (int ernal quotation marks omitted)). Given Appellate Case: 22-9507 Document: 010110795816 Date Filed: 01/11/2023 Page: 1112 Mr. Karim’s conflicting expl anations, “[a] reasonable adjudicator would not be compelled to find [him] credible,” Htun , 818 F.3d at 1120, because the record demonstrated a sound basis fo r discounting his credibility. See Chaib v. Ashcroft , 397 F.3d 1273, 1278 (10th Cir. 2005) (“A proper incredib ility determination can be based on inherent inconsistencies in the a pplicant’s testimony, lack of detail, or implausibility of the applicant’s story[.]”). Next, Mr. Karim faults the IJ ’s analysis of the sworn statement he gave to the CBP officer. Although Mr. Karim acknowle dges his sworn statement indicated his brother was tortured, he says he adequately explained th is mistake based on faulty information provided by his mother. Mr. Karim contends he clarified on crossexamination that Suleman, his cousin, ha d been threatened, not tortured, so he omitted the torture allegation from his direct testimony. He therefore insists these discrepancies do not supp ort discrediting him. To the extent Mr. Karim asks us to re weigh the adequacy of his explanations, we cannot do so. See Htun , 818 F.3d at 1119. To the extent he contends the BIA improperly rejected his explanations, we di sagree. The inconsis tencies cited by the BIA—that Mr. Karim’s sworn statement indicat ed his brother had been tortured when it was his cousin who had only been threatened—were substantial evidence supporting the adverse credibility finding. Moreover, the BIA observed that when the government aske d Mr. Karim about why he did not mention his br other being tortured, he repl ied, “it was my mother who told me that,” Admin. R. at 210, meani ng Mr. Karim’s mother told him Suleman had Appellate Case: 22-9507 Document: 010110795816 Date Filed: 01/11/2023 Page: 1213 been tortured. Yet on redirect, Mr. Kari m testified his mother told him the Land Guard “came and threatened your brother,” saying they would do to Suleman what they had done to him. Id. at 227 (emphasis added). No ting this changing testimony, the IJ observed Mr. Karim initially testifie d his mother told him Suleman had been tortured, but on redirect testified she to ld him Suleman had been threatened. Mr. Karim insists he simply misunderstood his mother, a nd even if we agreed, we may not reweigh the evidence of his credibility , which is what Mr. Karim asks us to do. See Htun , 818 F.3d at 1119. Applying the de ferential standard of review, we conclude Mr. Karim’s shifting testim ony supported the adverse credibility determination because it exem plifies how his efforts to explain the omission “only created further questions as to his honesty,” Igiebor , 981 F.3d at 1135. Mr. Karim also challenges th e reliability of his swor n statement, arguing that the CBP interview was informal and conducted in English. The BIA rejected this argument, and so do we. As an initial matter, we reject Mr. Karim’s premise that the adverse credibility finding was predicated simply on inconsistencies between his sworn statement and his testimony. Th e foregoing discussion demonstrates the adverse credibility finding was based, not simply on inconsistencies between the sworn statement and Mr. Karim’s testimony, but critically, on his failed attempts to explain those inc onsistencies. In any event, there is no indication th e CBP interview and Mr. Karim’s sworn statement were unreliable. Mr. Karim points out that Haus a is his native language but the CBP interview was conducted in English. Yet he told an IJ at a preliminary Appellate Case: 22-9507 Document: 010110795816 Date Filed: 01/11/2023 Page: 1314 hearing that English was his best language. And while Mr. Karim later stated Hausa was his best language, his attorney had to remind him during his merits hearing to speak in Hausa rather than E nglish. Moreover, the record confirms that, as the BIA observed, Mr. Karim’s sworn statement bore su fficient indicia of reliability. Indeed, it was administered by the CBP officer, w ho advised Mr. Karim that it was very important to tell the truth because he could be subject to civil or criminal penalties or barred from receiving immigrati on benefits if he gave fals e information. Mr. Karim indicated he understood what the officer said to him, and he swor e that his responses were true and complete. He then answer ed the officer’s questions. We discern nothing in this evidence to suggest any language ba rriers or comprehension difficulties, and nothing about the CBP in terview or Mr. Karim’s sworn statement undermines the agency’s adverse credibility finding. Apart from challenging the adverse credib ility finding, Mr. Ka rim contends the IJ inadequately explained what other evidence in the record, independent of his testimony, she considered in concluding that he failed to satisfy the standards for asylum and restriction on removal. Both th e IJ and the BIA stat ed, however, that the IJ considered all the record ev idence, even if it was not sp ecifically discussed. “The BIA is not required to write an exegesis on every contention. What is required is merely that it consider the issues raised, and announce it s decision in terms sufficient to enable a reviewing court to perceive th at it has heard and thought and not merely reacted.” Ismaiel , 516 F.3d at 1207 (internal quotati on marks omitted). We must ask whether the BIA’s decision is sufficient to permit our meaningful review, and here, Appellate Case: 22-9507 Document: 010110795816 Date Filed: 01/11/2023 Page: 1415 we are satisfied it is. The agency appropriately consider ed the record evidence in concluding Mr. Karim failed to satisfy the standards for asylum and restriction on removal. Finally, Mr. Karim challenges the denial of CAT relief based on what he says is the unsupported adverse credibility finding, but our disposition upholding that finding defeats his argument. See id. at 1206 (“[T]he IJ and BIA could reasonably refuse to believe [the noncitizen’s] claims of past torture and, reviewing all the evidence, remain unpersuaded th at [he] satisfied his burden of proving that he would probably be tortured if [removed].”).
III Accordingly, the petition for review is denied.

Entered for the Court

Veronica S. Rossman Circuit Judge Appellate Case: 22-9507 Document: 010110795816 Date Filed: 01/11/2023 Page: 15