Opinion ID: 2973555
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Frivolous-Application Finding

Text: The court reviews an IJ’s frivolous-application finding for substantial evidence. See Selami, 423 F.3d at 626. “[A]n asylum application is frivolous if any of its material elements is deliberately fabricated.” 8 C.F.R. § 1208.20. A finding that an alien filed a frivolous asylum application “shall only be made if the immigration judge or the Board is satisfied that the applicant, during the course of the proceedings, has had sufficient opportunity to account for any discrepancies or implausible aspects of the claim.” Id. Mr. Sterkaj challenges the IJ’s finding that his application was frivolous on three bases. First, he argues that the IJ erred in relying on the Profile of Asylum Claims and Country Conditions for Albania from May 2001 because the persecution he complains about occurred in 1998. Second, he argues that the summons (with its hand drawn stamp) should not be held against him because he was unaware the document was fraudulent. Finally, he argues that the IJ erred in relying upon the “wanted” document, as it was immaterial to his claim for asylum and withholding of removal. We dispose of the first argument quickly. The IJ relied on Mr. Sterkaj’s submission of fraudulent documents, not the country report, to conclude that the application was frivolous. The next—ignorance of the fraud—is the same argument we rejected in upholding the IJ’s credibility determination. Third, the “wanted” document is material, rather than irrelevant, as it goes to the heart of Mr. Sterkaj’s asylum claim that the Albanian police were targeting him. The document declares his wife “wanted” by the Ministry of Public Order for “‘[d]enying knowledge of the whereabouts of her husband’ when he was wanted by these forces.” Although on appeal he disavows all knowledge of how the document landed in his file, the record establishes that Mr. Sterkaj himself submitted the document to support his asylum application, suggesting that at least he thought it material to his claim. Because we conclude that substantial evidence supports the IJ’s finding that Mr. Sterkaj filed a frivolous application, we affirm. No. 04-4232 Sterkaj, et al. v. Gonzales Page 6