Opinion ID: 33211
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: continuous presence for ten years

Text: 14 We review the IJ's factual conclusions on the issue of whether Garcia established ten years of continuous presence for substantial evidence. Efe v. Ashcroft, 293 F.3d 899, 903 (5th Cir.2002) (citing Ozdemir v. INS, 46 F.3d 6, 7 (5th Cir.1994)). Questions of law are reviewed de novo. Id. This Court must affirm the IJ's decision if there is no error of law and if reasonable, substantial, probative evidence on the record, considered as a whole, supports his factual findings. Moin v. Ashcroft, 335 F.3d 415, 418 (5th Cir. 2003) (citing Howard v. INS, 930 F.2d 432, 434 (5th Cir.1991)). This Court will not reverse the decision of the IJ unless the petitioner provides evidence `so compelling that no reasonable fact-finder could conclude against it.' Id. (citing Carbajal-Gonzalez v. INS, 78 F.3d 194, 197 (5th Cir.1996)). 15 We find that substantial and probative evidence, considered as a whole, supports the IJ's factual finding that Garcia did not establish ten years of continuous presence in the United States between 1989 and 1999. Garcia established that he moved with his wife and two Mexican-born children into an apartment in San Benito, Texas in 1993 where he has since lived. The evidence that Garcia submitted to prove continuous physical presence in the United States from 1989 until 1993, however, left gaps in proof, or it was inconsistent. Garcia relied on an affidavit from Alberto Garza, stating that he met Garcia in 1980 because Garcia was harvesting crops in our vicinity at that time, but, as the IJ noted, there was no evidence that Garza knew that Garcia was present in the United States continuously for any period of years, let alone after 1989. Garcia also presented an unsworn letter from Aurelio Davila, which indicated only that Garcia rented a house in Texas in 1982. Reverend Juan Perez stated that he met Garcia in 1988 and that Garcia has resided in the United States since then, only to be contradicted by Garcia himself who said that he met the reverend for the first time in 1992. Garcia's wife, whom he married in 1983, lived in Mexico until 1992, and the Garcias had two children who lived in Mexico until 1992. Further, Garcia presented no documents to show that he had been in the United States before 1990. Nor did he present a convincing explanation as to why he was unable to obtain any definitive supporting documentation from his former employers. Besides these shortcomings in Garcia's proof, the IJ heard Garcia's testimony about his presence in the United States and found that it was not credible. The IJ found his testimony particularly suspect since Garcia admitted that his wife and children remained in Mexico until 1992 and that he saw them there regularly. 16 Based on these facts, we hold that there was substantial evidence for the IJ to find that Garcia failed to prove continuous physical presence for ten years before the INS brought removal proceedings against him. A court of appeals gives great deference to an immigration judge's decisions concerning an alien's credibility. Efe v. Ashcroft, 293 F.3d 899, 903 (5th Cir.2002) (citing Chun v. INS, 40 F.3d 76, 78 (5th Cir.1994)). We will not substitute our judgment for that of the BIA or IJ with respect to the credibility of the witnesses or ultimate factual findings based on credibility determinations. Chun, 40 F.3d at 78. We have emphatically ruled that [w]e will not review decisions turning purely on the immigration judge's assessment of the alien petitioner's credibility. Id. (citing Mantell v. INS, 798 F.2d 124, 127 (5th Cir.1986)). Our holding that the IJ had substantial evidence to conclude that Garcia failed to meet one of the four threshold eligibility factors under § 240A(b) is a sufficient basis alone for us to affirm his denial of relief. For this reason, we need not address the other grounds upon which Garcia challenges the IJ's decision.