Opinion ID: 2612
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Decision to Remand

Text: Where the adverse credibility determination supporting denial of relief from removal is a product of some agency findings infected by legal error and others that are not, our decision to uphold the agency decision or to remand for further proceedings depends on how confidently we can predict that the agency would reach the same decision absent the errors that were made. Xiao Ji Chen v. United States Dep't of Justice, 471 F.3d 315, 339 (2d Cir.2006) (internal quotation marks omitted); see Cao He Lin v. United States Dep't of Justice, 428 F.3d at 401-02 (indicating that confident prediction of same result absent identified errors demonstrates futility of remand). In this case, we cannot confidently predict what credibility determination the agency would make upon remand if (a) it not only correctly recognized that the Internet material did not contradict Li's testimony; but, (b) by further inquiry, it were able to clarify vague aspects of Li's testimony; and (c) upon recognition of its discretion to determine document authenticity by reference to the totality of the evidence, it were to find the submitted warrants reliable. Accordingly, we cannot uphold the agency decision on the record before us; instead, we must remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion and the recent precedents discussed herein.