Opinion ID: 170345
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Mr. Ismaiel's Claims

Text: We believe that the IJ's credibility determination was eminently reasonable. If the torture on which Mr. Ismaiel bases his claim had actually occurred, it would defy common sense for Mr. Ismaiel, who was assisted by counsel, to omit any mention of it on his application and supplemental letters, particularly when the application explicitly asked for such information. Mr. Ismaiel, however, argues that an omission on an application, without more, cannot serve as the basis for an adverse credibility finding, especially when the applicant's testimony does not contradict the information set forth in the application. To support this argument, he relies on decisions by the Second and Ninth Circuits that may be read as distinguishing between (1) false statements and omissions that involve the heart of the asylum claim and (2) false statements and omissions relating only to incidental matters, and then rejecting adverse-credibility findings based on the latter. See, e.g., Secaida-Rosales v. INS, 331 F.3d 297, 308-09 (2d Cir.2003); Akinmade v. INS, 196 F.3d 951, 956 (9th Cir.1999). This court, however, has not adopted that approach. In our view, the significance of an omission must be determined by the context, and rigid rules cannot substitute for common sense. Experienced litigators do not limit their challenges to adverse testimony to matters at the heart of the case. Cross-examination often seeks to undermine the witness's credibility by probing into inconsistencies and improbabilities regarding incidental matters. A witness who claims to have had a conversation with a particular person may be disbelieved if he cannot describe the house where the conversation allegedly occurred. Defense counsel regularly confront law-enforcement officers with omissions of information in their reports that do not concern the gist of the alleged offense. We assume that these practices continue because jurors are sometimes persuaded by the challenges. To be sure, one must be sensitive to the pressures bearing on persons seeking to escape persecution and make allowances for omissions of detail in, their early accounts of what befell them. The amount of leeway to grant, however, must depend on the specific circumstances. Here, for example, the omissions are in a typed form prepared with the assistance of counsel almost four years after Mr. Ismaiel entered this country and in letters submitted almost two years after that. The time elapsed since the alleged trauma and the assistance of counsel should reduce the number of omitted items later elicited in testimony. The circumstances of this case readily support an adverse credibility finding. (We also note the congressional directive that credibility determinations should be based on considerations of the totality of the circumstances without regard to whether an inconsistency, inaccuracy, or falsehood goes to the heart of the applicant's claim, 8 U.S.C. §§ 1158(b)(1)(B)(iii) and 1229a(c)(4)(C); see 1231(b)(3)(C), although that directive applies only to applications filed more recently than Mr. Ismaiel's [6] )
Next, Mr. Ismaiel claims that the BIA erred in ruling that the adverse credibility determination was sufficient to preclude his claim under the CAT. Although he did not challenge the CAT determination in his appeal to the BIA, the BIA sua sponte ruled on the claim, so we have jurisdiction to decide the issue. See Sidabutar v. Gonzales, 503 F.3d 1116, 1118-21 (10th Cir.2007). Our analysis follows our analysis of the restriction-on-removal issue. Simply put, the IJ and BIA could reasonably refuse to believe Mr. Ismaiel's claims of past torture and, reviewing all the evidence, remain unpersuaded that Mr. Ismaiel had satisfied his burden of proving that he would probably be tortured if returned to Syria. See Niang, 422 F.3d at 1202.
Mr., Ismaiel contends that this court should remand the case for further proceedings because the BIA and IJ failed to consider his claim that, if deported, he will be imprisoned or tortured by the Syrian government on the mistaken belief that he is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. He further argues that the BIA and IJ failed to consider documentary evidence of systematic torture of members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria. Mr. Ismaiel failed to present these issues in his appeal to the BIA, so we lack jurisdiction over them. See Nguyen v. INS, 991 F.2d 621, 623 n. 3 (10th Cir.1993). Mr. Ismaiel argues that he has consistently maintained that the agency failed to fully and fairly evaluate his claims based on the evidence in the record as a whole, and that [t]hat legal argument encompasses the argument that the agency failed to consider evidence supporting a particular theory. Aplt. Reply Br. at 11 n. 1. But his notice of appeal to the BIA, and his brief to the BIA, failed to mention the Muslim Brotherhood. And even if we had jurisdiction, we discern no error. The BIA is not required to `write an exegesis on every contention. What is required is merely that it consider the issues raised, and announce its decision in terms sufficient to enable a reviewing court to perceive that it has heard and thought and not merely reacted.' Becerra-Jimenez v. INS, 829 F.2d 996, 1000 (10th Cir.1987) (quoting Osuchukwu v. INS, 744 F.2d 1136, 1142-43 (5th Cir.1984)). That standard was satisfied.