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 and i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R . 36- 3. 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 B E I GU AN G C HE N, 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 yG e n e r a l, R e s p o n d e n t. N o. 08- 70043 A ge nc yN o. A 098- 956- 205 ME MOR AN DU M *

O n P e t i t i on f

orR e vi e w of

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 D e c e m be r6, 2012

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

o rn ia B efo re: B E R Z O N , IK U T A , an d N G U Y E N , C i rcu i tJu d g es.

B e i gua ng C he n, ana t i ve a nd c i t i z e n of C hi na , pe t i t i ons f

orr e vi e w of

the B oard of Im m i grat i on A pp ea l s’ (B IA ) orderdi sm i ss i ng hi s app ea l of an i m m i gr a t i on j udge ’ s ( I J ) de c i s i on de ny i ng hi s appl i c a t i on f ora s y l um , w i thhol di ng 

# FI LED DE C 26 2012 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

of r e m ova l , a nd r e l i e f

unde rthe C onve nt i on A ga i ns tT ortur e ( C A T ) . W e de ny C he n’ s pe t i t i on. 1. S u b s ta n tia l e v id e n c e s u p p o rts th e B I A ’s a d v e r s e c r e d ib ilityd e te rm in a tio n . A thi s c r e di bl e f

e a ri nt e rvi e w , C he n a ns w e r e d “ no” w he n a s ke d i f he “ e ve rha d a ny p ro b lem w ith p o li ce an d /o r o th erg o v ern m en tal au th o riti es in C h in a.” C h en ’s a n s w e rd ir e c tlyc o n tr a d ic ts h is la te rte s tim o n yth a t p o lic e a n d lo c a l o f f ic ia ls th r e a te n e d h im w ith f

in e s , c o n f

is c a te d h is p e r s o n a l p r o p e rty , a n d f o r c e d h is w if

e to have an abort i on . T he i ncon si st encybetw ee n C hen’ s s t at em entathi s i ni t i al i nt ervi ew and h i s l at ert es t i m on y i s m ore than tri vi al . U nd erthe R ea l ID A ct , the IJ a n d B I A w e r e p e rm itte d to r e lyo n th a t in c o n s is te n c yin f in d in g C h e n n o t c r e d ib le . See Shres tha v. H

older , 59 0 F . 3d 10 34 , 10 43 -44 (9th C i r. 20 10 ). F or the fi rs tt i m e a toral ar gu m ent , C hen’ s c ou nsel ar gu ed thatthe IJdeni ed C h en an o p p o rtu n ity to ex p lain th e in co n sisten cy , an d th at th e I J’s a n d B IA ’s d ec isio n s f

ailed to g iv e r ea so n ed co n sid er atio n to th e e x p lan atio n th at C h en ’s fo rm er co u n sel p ro v i d ed atth e m eri t s h eari n g . W e l ackj u ri sd i ct i o n o v er th ese a r g u m e n ts b e c au s e th e y w e r e n o t r a is e d b e f o r e th e B I A . Se e B a rr o n v . A s h c r o ft , 35 8 F . 3d 67 4, 67 8 (9th C i r. 20 04 ). I n the abs e nc e of

c r e di bl e t e s t i m ony , C he n’ s a s y l um a nd w i thhol di ng of rem o v al cl ai m s fai l , so w e d en y th e p et i t i o n w i th reg ard t o th o se cl ai m s.3

2 . S ub st ant i al evi dence s up po rt s the B IA ’ s and IJ ’ s det erm i nat i on thatC hen f a ile d to e s tab lis h it is “m o r e lik e lyth a n n o t” th a t h e w ill b e to rtu r e d u p o n h is r e turn t o C hi na . 8 C . F . R . § 1208. 16( c ) ( 2) . A pa rtf r om hi s t e s t i m ony , C he n ha s not prov i ded any evi dence s peci fi c t o h i m thatt orture i s l i kel y t o o cc ur. N or has C hen id e n tif ie d a n y o th e re v id e n c e in th e r e c o r d th a t u n d e r c u ts th is d e te rm in a tio n . C f. I N S v . E l i as - Zac ar i as , 5 0 2 U . S . 4 7 8 , 4 8 1 n . 1 (1 9 9 2 ) (“ T o rev erse th e B IA [’ s] fi n d i n g w e m u stfi n d th atth e ev i d en ce n o to n l y s u p p o r ts tha tc onc l us i on, but c o m p e ls it . . . .” ) . T he di ss entm ai nt ai ns thatthe IJand B IA fa i l ed t o con si der the C ou ntry R eport . F ai l ure t o d em on stra t e c on si dera t i on of prob at i ve e vi de nc e c ont a i ne d i n a c ountry r e portm a y w a rr a ntthe i nf e r e nc e tha tthe a ge nc yf a i l e d t o c ons i de rr e l e va nt e v id e n c e in th e r e c o r d in v io la tio n o f th e a lie n ’s d u e p r o c e s s r ig h ts . See A g u i la rR am os v. H

older , 59 4 F . 3d 70 1, 70 5 (9th C i r. 20 10 ). H er e, ho w ever , the C ou ntry R e portc ont a i ns no prob at i ve e vi de nc e , a nd s o the r e i s no ba s i s f ori nf e rr i ng, f r om th e I J ’s a n d B I A ’s s ile n c e , th a t th e yf a ile d to c o n s id e rit. See C ole v . H older , 659 F .3 d 7 6 2 , 7 7 2 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 1 1 ) ( “[ F ]a ilin g to m e n tio n h ig h lyp r o b a tiv e o rp o te n tia lly di sposi t i ve evi dence” w arrant s an i nfer ence thatthe evi dence w as no tconsi dere d); s e e a l s o La r i ta -M

a r t i n ezv . I

NS , 2 2 0 F .3 d 1 0 9 2 , 1 0 9 5

– 9 6 (9 th C ir. 2 0 0 0 ) ( “[A ]n a l i e n a tt e m pt i ng t o e s t abl i s h tha tthe B oa r d vi ol a t e d hi s r i ghtt o due pr oc e s s by4

f a ilin g to c o n s id e rr e le v a n t e v id e n c e m u s t o v e r c o m e th e p r e s u m p tio n th a t it d id r e v i e w th e e v i d e n c e . ” ) . We th e r e f o r e d e n yC h e n ’ s p e t i t i o n wi th r e g a r d t o h i s C AT c l a i m. P e t i t i o n f

o rr e v i e w D E NI E D.Chen v. H

older , N o. 08- 70043 B E R Z O N , C ir c u it J u d g e , d is s e n tin g in p a rt: I c o n cu r in P ar t 1 o f th e p an el’s d isp o siti o n . B ec au se I w o u ldg ra n t C h en ’s pe t i t i on w i th r e ga r d t o hi s C A T c l a i m , I r e s pe c t f ul l ydi s s e ntf

r om P a rt2. T he B I A di d notgi ve a ny r e a s ons f orde ny i ng C he n’ s C A T c l a i m . I tm a de onl y the c onc l us ory s t a t e m e nttha tC he n ha d “ notpr e s e nt e d a nype r s ua s i ve ar g u m en ts” f

o r r ev er sin g th e I J’s d en ial o f C A T re li ef. In tu rn , n o n e o f th e I J’s r e a s ons f orde ny i ng C A T r e l i e f

i ndi c a t e tha tthe I Jga ve a nyc ons i de r a t i on t o the c ountry r e porti n the r e c or d. N ordi d the B I A orthe I Jm a ke a“ ge ne r a l s t a t e m e nt that[they] consi dere d al l the evi dence before [them ] . ” See C ol e v . H older , 659 F .3 d 7 6 2 , 7 7 1 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 1 1 ) . T he m a j or i ty c onc l ude s tha tthe C ountryR e porti n the r e c or d “ c ont a i ns no p r o b a tiv e e v id e n c e ” r e g a r d in g C h e n ’s C A T c la im . I d is a g r e e . T h e S ta te D e pa rtm e nt ’ s 2005 C ountryR e porton H um a n R i ght s P r a c t i c e s doc um e nt s the fol l ow i ng coun trycond i t i on s r el evantt o C hen’ s t es t i m on y thathe fe ar ed force d st er i l i za t i on and i m pri sonm entup on re turn t o C hi na:

• [ P ] ol i c e a nd othe re l e m e nt s of the s e c ur i tyappa r a tus e m pl oy e d t ortur e a nd degradi ng tre atm enti n d ea l i ng w i th som e det ai nees and p ri soners [, a] c h r o n i c p r o b l e m. • S ex u al an d p h ysi cal ab u se . . . i n so m e d et en t i o n cen t ers. • [A ]tleas t sev en th o u sa n d p eo p le w er e f o rc ib ly ster il ized [in 2 0 0 5 ].



# FI LED DE C 26 2012 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

B e c aus e nothi ng i n the r e c or d i ndi c a t e s tha te i the rthe B I A orthe I Jga ve

“ re as on ed consi dera t i on t o [thi s probat i ve] evi dence, ” C o le , 659 F . 3d a t772, “ the prop ercourse of ac t i on i s t o rem and w i th i nstruct i on s thatthe B IA re consi der [C hen’ s] C A T cl ai m i n l i gh tof the C ou ntryR eport , ” A gu i lar-R am os v. H older , 594 F . 3d 701, 705 ( 9th C i r . 2010) ( c i t i ng IN S v. V en tu ra , 537 U . S . 12, 16 ( 2002) ( p e rc u r ia m ) ) .