Opinion ID: 795051
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Substantial Evidence and Erroneous Findings by the IJ

Text: 56 I disagree with the majority's conclusion that the BIA's decision is supported by substantial evidence. We must uphold the BIA's determination that an alien is not eligible for asylum only if it is supported by reasonable, substantial, and probative evidence on the record considered as a whole. INS v. Elias-Zacarias, 502 U.S. 478, 481, 112 S.Ct. 812, 117 L.Ed.2d 38 (1992) (internal quotations omitted). The BIA's decision must be reversed where a reasonable fact finder would be compelled to conclude, based on the evidence in the record, that there was a well-founded fear of future persecution. Id. at 481 n. 1, 112 S.Ct. 812. The evidence here compels such a finding. 57 The majority opinion correctly notes that in determining eligibility for asylum, we should look at the record considered as a whole. Id. at 481, 112 S.Ct. 812. The majority, however, fails to perform that analysis properly. A comprehensive examination of the record reveals that the decision to deny Gu asylum is not supported by substantial evidence. The IJ's decision is premised on erroneous findings that are contradicted by the administrative record. Moreover, rather than constituting what the majority deems isolated errors, these mistakes go to the heart of Gu's asylum claim and undermine the BIA's denial of Gu's asylum application. 58 Contrary to the IJ's oral decision, Gu did not concede[ ] that he continued to attend his unregistered church . . . without prohibition, without interruption or interference by the government. . . . 2 Instead, the record demonstrates that the government effectively halted Gu's religious practice. After Gu was arrested and beaten, his fear of further arrests caused him to stop attending his church. Gu testified that after his arrest he was only able to practice his religion by reading his Bible alone at home. Because Gu stopped attending his church, it is impossible to know what additional steps the public security police may have taken to stop him. 59 In addition, in his oral decision, the IJ stated that Gu testified that after his arrest he continued to receive religious tracts from his sister without problems from the Chinese government. This finding is directly at odds with the testimony of both Gu and his sister that she sent him religious materials in November 1996, and in January and February 1997. Based on this testimony, the last time Gu's sister sent him any religious materials was eight months before he was arrested and beaten by the Chinese public security police. 60 Finally, the IJ found it important that Gu was able to return to his government job and was not terminated after he was released from prison. This finding, however, is undercut by Gu's testimony that after he returned to that job, he was placed on probation and threatened with termination if he again engaged in such religious activities. 61 These erroneous factual findings are compounded by the IJ's conclusion that the public security police approved of Gu's religious activities because he was told that he no longer needed to report to the police after three weekly meetings with them. This conclusion misunderstands the reason for Gu's weekly reports, which was to confirm that Gu was complying with the police demand that he no longer participate in any illegal religious activities. And, as Gu testified, this is what he did: after his release from detention he stopped attending his Christian house church and stopped distributing religious materials. It is apparent, then, that the security police lost interest in Gu because he was no longer participating in the prohibited activities, as required by his confession. 62 Similarly, the record contradicts the BIA's (and majority's) conclusion that Gu suffered no further problems with the government after his arrest. That the government did not continue to harass Gu after he ceased participating in the prohibited religious activities only demonstrates the success of the government's repression of Gu's Christian religious activities. The government did not try to stop Gu from attending his house church because Gu made no attempt to attend. The government made no attempt to stop him from distributing religious materials because Gu made no attempt to distribute. Gu's acquiescence in the government's repression, however, does not lead to the conclusion that he would no longer be subjected to repression if he again participated in his Christian religious activities. Indeed, Gu testified that he was threatened that if he did engage in such activities again, he would be fired from his government job. 63 Because Gu ceased attending his house church and distributing religious materials, we cannot know whether the government would have interfered or stopped him had he continued to do so. What we do know is that when Gu was attending church and distributing religious materials he was arrested, beaten, and detained for three days. After he ceased his Christian religious activities he was not subjected to further punishment. Mere speculation that Gu would have suffered no repercussions had he continued to pursue his Christian religious activities is not substantial evidence. See Maini v. INS, 212 F.3d 1167, 1173 (9th Cir.2000) (It is well-established that we will not uphold the BIA's determination if it relies on personal conjecture and speculation, which we have stressed is no `substitute for substantial evidence.'); Lopez-Reyes v. INS, 79 F.3d 908, 912 (9th Cir.1996) (noting that conjecture cannot substitute for substantial evidence). 64 When the IJ's erroneous factual findings are set aside, there remain only the IJ's findings that Gu (1) was permitted to return to his government job—where he was put on probation and threatened with termination if he engaged in Christian religious activities again—and (2) was able to obtain a Chinese passport. Such meager findings do not constitute substantial evidence and are insufficient to support the BIA's conclusion that Gu would suffer no further problems with the government if forced to return to China.