Opinion ID: 3023791
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Board of Immigration Appeals Ruling

Text: In an opinion dated October 15, 2004, the BIA dismissed Muaddi’s appeal. The BIA declined to evaluate Muaddi’s credibility, instead rejecting his claims for lack of corroboration. It stated that Muaddi offered “no explanation for the absence of corroborative evidence” of Massar Hmaid’s death and televised funeral, or the ransacking of his shop and his father’s home. In light of Muaddi’s “frequent contact with his family” in the West Bank, the BIA explained, corroborative documentary evidence should have been reasonably available. (App. 3) Thus, the BIA concluded, Muaddi “did not 5 demonstrate a well-founded fear of future persecution” necessary for asylum, and failed to meet “the higher burdens of proof for withholding of removal and protection pursuant to the [CAT].” (App. 3) Muaddi filed a timely Petition for Review under 8 U.S.C. § 1252(b)(1). We granted his Motion for a Stay of Removal pending the resolution of his petition.