Source: http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/388/814/569774/
Timestamp: 2017-09-20 16:37:54
Document Index: 249682922

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 212', '§ 1182', '§ 212', '§ 1182', '§ 1158', '§ 1158', '§ 1101', '§ 1101', '§ 208', '§ 208', '§ 1231', '§ 208', '§ 208', '§ 208']

Ismail Abdilahi D-muhumed, Petitioner-appellant, v. U.S. Attorney General, Respondent-appellee, 388 F.3d 814 (11th Cir. 2004) :: Justia
Justia › US Law › Case Law › Federal Courts › Courts of Appeals › Eleventh Circuit › 2004 › Ismail Abdilahi D-muhumed, Petitioner-appellant, v. U.S. Attorney General, Respondent-appellee
Ismail Abdilahi D-muhumed, Petitioner-appellant, v. U.S. Attorney General, Respondent-appellee, 388 F.3d 814 (11th Cir. 2004)
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit - 388 F.3d 814 (11th Cir. 2004)
Barton Carl Winter, Minneapolis, MN, for Petitioner-Appellant.
Anthony P. Nicastro, David V. Bernal, Jamie M. Dowd, U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Immigration Litigation, Washington, DC, for Respondent-Appellee.
Ismail Abdilahi D-Muhumed ("D-Muhumed"), a native and citizen of Somalia, petitions this court for review of the final order of removal of the Board of Immigration Appeals ("BIA"). The BIA's order affirmed the Immigration Judge's ("IJ") decision which denied withholding of removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act ("INA") and the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment of Punishment ("CAT"). For the reasons that follow, we deny the petition for review.
In December 1998, D-Muhumed attempted to enter the United States with a fraudulent Ethiopian passport. The Immigration and Naturalization Service ("INS") issued D-Muhumed a Notice to Appear, charging him with removability under INA § 212(a) (6) (C) (i), 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a) (6) (C) (i), for being an alien who, by fraud or willfully misrepresenting a material fact, sought to procure a visa, other documentation, or admission into the United States; and under INA § 212(a) (7) (A) (i) (I), 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a) (7) (A) (i) (I), for being an immigrant who, at the time of application for admission, did not possess a valid, unexpired entry document.
To the extent that the BIA's decision was based on a legal determination, this court's review is de novo. Mohammed v. Ashcroft, 261 F.3d 1244, 1247 (11th Cir. 2001). The BIA's factual determinations are reviewed under the substantial evidence test, and this court "must affirm the BIA's decision if it is supported by reasonable, substantial, and probative evidence on the record considered as a whole." Al Najjar v. Ashcroft, 257 F.3d 1262, 1283-84 (11th Cir. 2001) (internal quotations and citation omitted). When the BIA does not render its own opinion but rather adopts the IJ's opinion, then this court, in essence, reviews the IJ's decision. Gao v. Ashcroft, 299 F.3d 266, 271 (3d Cir. 2002) (citation omitted). Credibility determinations likewise are reviewed under the substantial evidence test. See id. at 272. The trier of fact must determine credibility, and this court may not substitute its judgment for that of the BIA with respect to credibility findings. Vasquez-Mondragon v. INS, 560 F.2d 1225, 1226 (5th Cir. 1977)2 (citations omitted).
An alien who arrives in or is present in the United States may apply for asylum. See 8 U.S.C. § 1158(a) (1). The Attorney General has discretion to grant asylum if the alien meets the INA's definition of a "refugee." 8 U.S.C. § 1158(b) (1). A "refugee" is
8 U.S.C. § 1101(a) (42) (A). The asylum applicant carries the burden of proving statutory "refugee" status. See Al Najjar, 257 F.3d at 1284.
To establish asylum eligibility, "the alien must establish a `well-founded fear' that his or her political opinion (or other statutorily listed factor) will cause harm or suffering that rises to the level of `persecution.'" Id. at 1287 (citing 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a) (42) (A)). "Demonstrating such a connection requires the alien to present specific, detailed facts showing a good reason to fear that he or she will be singled out for persecution on account of such an opinion." Id. (internal quotations and citation omitted) (emphasis in original). If the alien establishes past persecution, the burden shifts to the government to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that (1) " [t]here has been a fundamental change in circumstances such that the [alien] no longer has a well-founded fear of persecution [or (2) the alien] could avoid future persecution by relocating to another part of the [alien's] country...." 8 C.F.R. § 208.13(b) (1) (i), (ii). Uncorroborated but credible testimony from the applicant may be sufficient alone to sustain the burden of proof for asylum or withholding of removal. 8 C.F.R. § § 208.13(a), 208.16(b).
Although an applicant's uncorroborated but credible testimony may be sufficient alone to sustain the burden of proof for asylum, see id., in this case, the IJ noted numerous inconsistencies between D-Muhumed's asylum application, his testimony at the hearing, and the documentary evidence. The IJ provided "cogent reasons for his credibility determination" and those reasons are "supported by substantial evidence in the record much like any factual determination." Beganovic v. Ashcroft, 106 Fed.Appx. 279, 283 (5th Cir. 2004) (citations omitted); see also Lopez De Jesus v. INS, 312 F.3d 155, 161 (5th Cir. 2002) (stating that "a credibility determination may not be overturned unless the record compels it"). Specifically, the IJ did not believe that D-Muhumed could have lived, for over two years, in a house that the Hawiye clan attacked daily without suffering any harm. The IJ also found that, if the situation was as D-Muhumed claimed, it was not plausible that D-Muhumed could have safely left the house without incident when he finally arranged to leave the country. Furthermore, the IJ reasoned that, if the Hawiye clan did attack the house daily for over two years, D-Muhumed would have included that fact in his asylum application because it was a significant part of his claim.
Given the IJ's enumeration of these inconsistencies, which are supported by the record, we will not substitute our judgment for that of the IJ with respect to its credibility findings. See Vasquez-Mondragon, 560 F.2d at 1226. Additionally, although the IJ's extremely detailed adverse credibility determination alone may be sufficient to support the IJ's denial of D-Muhumed's petition, see Singh-Kaur v. INS, 183 F.3d 1147, 1149-53 (9th Cir. 1999) (affirming BIA's denial of asylum application based on the IJ's adverse credibility determination alone), our review of the record reveals substantial evidence supporting the IJ's finding that D-Muhumed failed to establish a well-founded fear of persecution.
As for D-Muhumed's claim of withholding of removal, we find that he cannot show that his life or freedom would "more likely than not" be threatened or persecuted upon return to his country because of his membership in the Midgan clan. See Mendoza v. United States Attorney Gen., 327 F.3d 1283, 1287 (11th Cir. 2003); 8 U.S.C. § 1231(b) (3); 8 C.F.R. § 208.16(b). This standard is more stringent than the "well-founded fear" standard for asylum. See Al Najjar, 257 F.3d at 1293. Accordingly, because D-Muhumed cannot meet the "well-founded fear" standard for asylum, it is a fortiori that he cannot meet the withholding of removal standard. See id. at 1292-93.
Lastly, D-Muhumed cannot prevail on his claim for CAT relief because he cannot show that he "more likely than not" will be tortured upon his return to Somalia. 8 C.F.R. § 208.16(c) (2).
8 C.F.R. § 208.18(a) (1). D-Muhumed fails to demonstrate that the harm he suffered was inflicted at the instigation of, or with the consent or acquiescence of, a public official. The objective evidence indicates that Somalia currently has no central government, and the clans who control various sections of the country do so through continued warfare and not through official power. Hence, D-Muhumed's claim for CAT relief fails.
The IJ also considered the U.S. State Department's Somalia Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 1998 ("1998 Country Report") and the U.S. State Department's "Somalia: Profile of Asylum Claims and Country Conditions" for December 1996 ("1996 Profile"). The 1996 Profile described how the four dominant sub-clans were the Issak in the north, the Darod in the northeast along the Kenyan border, the Hawiye in the central region stretching from Mogadishu, and the Rahanweyn, which traditionally was less powerful. It stated that each of these clans was further divided into an intricate web of sub-clans and sub-sub-clans, which feuded and formed alliances in a constantly shifting pattern, and there was a fluctuation of power between traditional clan leaders and clan-based militias and factions. The 1996 Profile did not specifically mention the Midgan clan. Notably, it stated that there was no automatic correlation between clan affiliation and danger of persecution, and whether a fear based on clan membership was well-founded depended on the nature and durability of the alleged threat and the alien's physical location within the country. The 1998 Country Report stated that Somalia had been without a central government since the dictator Mohamed Siad Barre fled the country in 1991. The 1998 Country Report stated that, after the withdrawal of United Nations peacekeepers in 1995, clan and factional militias continued to rule various regions of the country with varying degrees of effectiveness. However, it stated that serious interclan fighting occurred only in the central Somali regions of Bay and Bakool, the southern regions of Gedo and Lower Juba, and around Kismayo, but not in Mogadishu