Source: http://ilw.com/immigrationdaily/cases/2000,1115-Diallo.shtm
Timestamp: 2018-06-24 22:01:53
Document Index: 118350890

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1158', '§ 208', '§ 1253', '§ 208', '§ 1105', '§ 1105', '§ 306', '§ 1105', '§ 309', '§ 1158']

ILW.COM - Diallo v. INS
(Argued: June 6, 2000 Decided: November 13, 2000)
Before: WALKER, Chief Judge, MESKILL, Circuit Judge, and HADEN,* District Judge.
DIOGENES P. KEKATOS, Assistant United States Attorney (Mary Jo White, United States Attorney, James A. O'Brien III, Special Assistant United States Attorney, Gideon A. Schor, Assistant United States Attorney, on the brief), Southern District of New York, New York, NY for Respondent
Moussa Diallo petitions for review of the March 13, 1998 order of the Board of Immigration Appeals ("BIA") dismissing his appeal from the denial by an immigration judge ("IJ") of his applications for asylum in the United States and withholding of deportation to Mauritania. 1 Specifically, Diallo argues that the BIA erred by requiring him to corroborate his allegedly credible testimony with specific documentary support and then determining, based on his failure to provide this corroboration, that he had failed to meet his burden of proof. In opposition, respondent Immigration and Naturalization Service ("INS") contends that the BIA applied the proper standard in assessing Diallo's claims and that substantial evidence supports the BIA's ultimate decision to deny his applications.
In February 1994, Diallo illegally entered the United States. In October 1995, he applied for asylum and withholding of deportation under former sections 208 and 243(h) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ("INA"), 8 U.S.C. §§ 1158(a) (amended 1996), 1253(h) (repealed 1996), 2 based on his past persecution and fear of future race-based persecution in his native country of Mauritania. In December 1995, the INS charged Diallo with unlawful entry without inspection and referred him to the immigration courts for a hearing.
On July 24, 1996, the IJ denied Diallo's applications. She found that, despite providing substantial independent evidence about the persecution of black Mauritanians during the period that he claimed persecution, Diallo had failed to meet his burden of proof because he did not produce adequate documentary corroboration of his testimony. According to the IJ, his "inability or unwillingness to provide supporting documentation . . . seriously undermine[s] the plausibility of his account, particularly since he has not offered . . . specific, credible detail about the circumstances" of his detention in Mauritania or residence at the refugee camp. 3
Diallo applied both for asylum and for withholding of deportation, each of which implicates a different burden of proof. In order to demonstrate eligibility for asylum, Diallo must show that he has suffered past persecution or has a well­founded fear of future persecution on the basis of race. See Abankwah v. INS, 185 F.3d 18, 22 (2d Cir. 1999); 8 C.F.R. § 208.13(a). An alien's fear may be well-founded even if there is only a slight, though discernible, chance of persecution. See INS v. Cardoza-Fonesca, 480 U.S. 421, 431 (1987). Once an applicant demonstrates eligibility for asylum, however, "the decision whether to grant a particular application is still within the discretion of the Attorney General." Abankwah, 185 F.3d at 22.
Demonstrating eligibility for withholding of deportation requires carrying a higher burden: Diallo must establish a clear probability that his "'life or freedom would be threatened in [a] country on account of'" his race. Id. (quoting 8 U.S.C. § 1253(h)(1) (1994)) (alteration in original). However, if the applicant shows that he or she suffered "persecution in the past such that his or her life or freedom was threatened," then it is presumed that his or her life or freedom would be threatened upon return "unless a preponderance of the evidence establishes that conditions in the country have changed to such an extent that it is no longer more likely than not that the applicant would be so persecuted there." 8 C.F.R. § 208.16(b)(2). Once the required showing is made, no discretion lies with the Attorney General; the application for withholding of deportation must be granted. See Abankwah, 185 F.3d at 22.
Third, the standard applied by the BIA is consistent with our precedent. Although we have used language that could be interpreted more broadly, see Abankwah, 185 F.3d at 24 ("INS regulations do not require that credible testimony -- that which is consistent and specific -- be corroborated by objective evidence."); Sotelo-Aquije v. Slattery, 17 F.3d 33, 36 n.2 (2d Cir. 1994) ("corroboration is not required under INS rules"); Melendez v. United States Dep't of Justice, 926 F.2d 211, 215 (2d Cir. 1991) (absent "documentary proof, the applicant's testimony will be enough if it is credible, persuasive, and refers to specific facts" demonstrating a well-founded fear of persecution), these cases establish simply that corroboration is not always required where the applicant's testimony is credible and detailed, not that corroboration can never be required under these circumstances. We have stopped short of a blanket holding that credible testimony is automatically sufficient and renders corroborating evidence unnecessary -- the prevailing standard in the Ninth Circuit, see Cordon-Garcia v. INS, 204 F.3d 985, 992 (9th Cir. 2000) -- a rule that would run contrary to the permissive language of the applicable INS regulations.
Accordingly, the petitioner and the amicus overstate the breadth of the regulations, international standards, and our precedent when they claim, without elaboration of the circumstances when it is so, that an alien's credible testimony is sufficient to meet his or her burden of proof. Rather, the appropriate formulation is that credible testimony maybe enough, depending on the circumstances.
We review the factual findings underlying the BIA's determination that an alien has failed to sustain his or her burden of proof to qualify for asylum or withholding of deportation under the substantial evidence standard. See Melgar de Torres v. Reno, 191 F.3d 307, 312 (2d. Cir. 1999). Such findings must be upheld if they are "supported by reasonable, substantial, and probative evidence on the record considered as a whole." 8 U.S.C. § 1105a(a)(4) (repealed 1996). We reverse only if no reasonable fact­finder could have failed to find the past persecution or fear of future persecution necessary to sustain the petitioner's burden. See Melgar de Torres, 191 F.3d at 313.
But this finding does not withstand even deferential review. On the record before us, we think the IJ was plainly in error to find that Diallo failed to provide "specific, credible detail" in his testimony. Moreover, we agree with the petitioner that it is inappropriate to base a credibility determination solely on the failure to provide corroborative evidence. The presence or absence of corroboration may properly be considered in determining credibility. Cf. Outley v. City of New York, 837 F.2d 587, 590-91 (2d Cir. 1988) (noting that corroboration may bolster credibility). However, corroboration cannot be the only factor taken into account because this would effectively require corroboration in all cases, contrary to explicit provisions in the law that applicants may be able to rely exclusively on their testimony. As the BIA has correctly observed, "[a] failure of proof is not a proper ground per se for an adverse credibility determination. The latter finding is more appropriately based upon inconsistent statements, contradictory evidence, and inherently improbable testimony." In re S-M-J-, 1997 BIA LEXIS 3, at *23-24.
First, the BIA should decide explicitly whether or not Diallo's testimony was credible. This determination may properly be based on a credibility finding by the IJ, should the BIA choose to remand to allow the IJ to make such a finding. Cf. In re A-S-, 1998 BIA LEXIS 7, at *8 ("[B]ecause the Immigration Judge has the advantage of observing the alien as the alien testifies, the Board accords deference to the Immigration Judge's findings concerning credibility and credibility­related issues."). In making their determinations, the IJ and the BIA should consider the underlying consistency and plausibility of Diallo's story, the extent to which it was corroborated, and the believability of the explanations Diallo offered for failing to provide further corroboration. We remind the IJ and the BIA that Diallo's simple failure to produce any particular documentary support cannot serve as the sole basis of an adverse credibility finding. While corroboration may bolster credibility, an applicant may still be credible absent specific corroboration, especially where his or her explanations for the absence of corroboration are themselves credible.
*The Honorable Charles H. Haden II, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, sitting by designation.
1 We note that Diallo's appeal is properly before this court. He petitions pursuant to former section 106(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ("INA"), 8 U.S.C. § 1105a(a), which was repealed by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 ("IIRIRA"), Pub. L. No. 104-208, § 306(b), 110 Stat. 3009-546, 3009-612. Because Diallo's deportation proceedings began before April 1, 1997 and his order of deportation became final after October 30, 1996, this case is governed by IIRIRA's transitional provisions. See Henderson v. INS, 157 F.3d 106, 117 (2d Cir. 1998). Under these provisions, the federal courts plainly have the authority to review final orders of deportation. See 8 U.S.C. § 1105a(a) (repealed 1996); IIRIRA § 309(c)(1)(B), 110 Stat. at 3009-625 ("proceedings (including judicial review thereof) shall continue to be conducted without regard to [the] amendments").
2 Comparable relief remains available under the current immigration regime. See 8 U.S.C. §§ 1158 (asylum), 1231(b)(3) (withholding of removal).
3 We note a distinction, sometimes elided by the INS, between credible testimony, in the context of which we use the term "credibility" here, and a plausible account, which might include testimony, corroborating evidence, and the like.