Opinion ID: 2972002
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Inconsistencies in Petitioner’s Testimony

Text: -4- No. 03-3930 Patel v. Ashcroft Patel gave inconsistent testimony about when he formed the intent to apply for asylum and whether he feared persecution. During the first day of testimony, Petitioner stated that he intended to remain permanently in the United States at the time of his entry in 1999. Yet Patel failed to inform the consular officials or immigration inspectors of his fear of returning to Kenya. In contrast, during Patel’s second day of testimony, he stated that he did not fear persecution upon entry and that he only intended to visit the United States. In his second day of testimony, Patel testified that he feared persecution in Kenya after entering the United States and reading a news article in November 1999. Although not submitted in evidence, the article supposedly discussed the increased tensions between Indians and Africans in Kenya. After speaking with his children, Petitioner stated that he feared persecution in Kenya. Mr. Patel and his wife were hesitant to remain in the United States, however, because they own properties and a business in Kenya. Petitioner’s children testified that they convinced Mr. Patel and his wife to apply for asylum. Nayana Patel testified that she and her siblings convinced her parents to remain in the United States in February 2000 by persuading them that Kenya was too dangerous. Sangeeta Patel also testified that her father did not want to apply for asylum until his children urged him to do so. Patel’s testimony also contained discrepancies as to why he sent his children to the United States. He testified that he sent Nayana to the United States so that she would be safe. He alternatively testified that he sent her to the United States to study. Nayana Patel testified that Patel sent her to the United States in 1996 because he feared for her safety. Sangeeta Patel further testified that her father sent her and her brother to the United States because Kenya was not safe. C. The Immigration Judge Denied Asylum -5- No. 03-3930 Patel v. Ashcroft On August 31, 2001, the Immigration Judge denied Petitioner’s asylum and withholding applications, concluding that Patel’s testimony was not credible and that he could show neither past persecution nor a well-founded fear of persecution. The Immigration Judge made an adverse credibility determination with regard to Petitioner after finding numerous inconsistencies within his testimony during the two-day hearing. The contradictions included Petitioner’s testimony about when he formed his intent to apply for asylum, the incidents causing his fear of persecution, and his reasons for sending his children to the United States. The Immigration Judge concluded that Petitioner’s inconsistent testimony went to the heart of his asylum claim, holding that the defects in his testimony were not minor inconsistencies. Patel’s inconsistencies undermined his assertion that he suffered past persecution or had a wellfounded fear of future persecution in Kenya. Petitioner Patel attributed these inconsistencies to a faulty memory as a result of his diabetes. Nayana Patel and Bharatkumar Patel testified that their father had memory problems. Yet the Immigration Judge determined that poor memory did not cause Patel to testify “to this Court that when he entered the United States he did fear Kenya and entered as a visitor nonetheless.” In addition to the adverse credibility determination, the Immigration Judge found that the Petitioner was not a refugee: he neither suffered past persecution, nor had a well-founded fear of future persecution. The Immigration Judge found that even if Petitioner were credible, the previous incidents amounted only to discrimination based on wealth and did not constitute persecution. The Immigration Judge concluded that general conditions of lawlessness are not persecution and that conditions in Kenya had not worsened since 1999. Consequently, the Immigration Judge denied -6- No. 03-3930 Patel v. Ashcroft Petitioner’s asylum application. D. The Board Affirmed the Immigration Judge’s Decision On June 4, 2003, a Board member summarily affirmed the Immigration Judge’s decision without a separate written opinion.1 Patel then filed the petition for review now before the Court, arguing that the Board and the Immigration Judge erred in finding that Petitioner was not credible and in concluding that he neither suffered past persecution nor had a well-founded fear of future persecution.