Opinion ID: 4880755
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Second Appearance

Text: A few days later, B.C. appeared before the IJ again for an individual hearing. The IJ opened the hearing by introducing a Spanish interpreter without asking whether B.C. spoke that language. Because B.C. is not a Spanish speaker, he interjected with one word: “English.” Id. The IJ did not inquire about what type of English B.C. spoke, instead asking him preliminary questions in “Standard” English and clarifying that he was not in fact a citizen of Guatemala. In the middle of the proceeding, the IJ asked B.C., “Do you need a French interpreter or are you okay with the English?” A.R. at 480. 10 B.C. responded that he was “okay in English.” Id. The IJ later asked if B.C. “read and underst[ood] French and English,” to which B.C. responded, “I read and understand English and French, a little bit.” A.R. at 484–85. In response to the IJ’s substantive questions, B.C. admitted that he entered the United States without the appropriate documentation. The IJ therefore sustained the removability charge. B.C. then filed applications for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the CAT, which he later supplemented with various supporting documents, including his brother’s Cameroonian death certificate, evidence of country conditions in Cameroon, and statements from friends corroborating the circumstances of his brother’s death.