Opinion ID: 59028
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Adverse Credibilty And Asylum

Text: The IJ’s credibility determination must be “clean,” which means that the IJ must state clearly whether he believed the petitioner. Yang v. U.S. Attorney Gen., 418 F.3d 1198, 1201 (11th Cir. 2005). Furthermore, the IJ must offer specific, cogent reasons for an adverse credibility finding. Once an adverse credibility finding is made, the burden is on the applicant alien to show that the IJ’s credibility decision was not supported by specific, cogent reasons or was not based on substantial evidence. A credibility determination, like any fact finding, may not be overturned unless the record compels it. Forgue v. U.S. Attorney Gen., 401 F.3d 1282, 1287 (11th Cir. 2005) (citations and quotations omitted). In this case, Shamo has failed to demonstrate that the IJ’s credibility decision was not supported by substantial evidence and, therefore, we will not overturn it. See Forgue, 401 F.3d at 1287. Accordingly, because the IJ found that Shamo was not credible in his testimony to support his eligibility for asylum and the documents he presented likewise do not compel a finding of eligibility, the petition for asylum must be denied.