Opinion ID: 202389
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: IJ's Decision and BIA's Affirmance

Text: On August 8, 2003, Zhang appeared before an IJ in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The IJ denied all of Zhang's claims. She first pretermitted Zhang's asylum claim because it was filed one year and sixteen days after his arrival in the United States, in violation of the one-year deadline.5 The IJ then denied Zhang's request for withholding of removal, finding that he had wholly failed to prove that he would be persecuted based on his Falun Gong faith if he returned to China. Taking Zhang's testimony as true, the IJ found that even despite his detentions, all of which conformed with Chinese criminal law, Zhang still enjoyed significant benefits from the government in the sense that he remained employed by a company in which the government was a majority owner. Therefore, the IJ held that even though some Falun Gong practitioners were persecuted, this did not mean that Zhang himself would be persecuted or tortured upon his return to China. Instead, the IJ characterized 5 Zhang testified that he believed that he needed his birth certificate to complete his application and was thus waiting until he received it in order to file. The IJ held that this was not a valid excuse for his tardiness, because he could have easily filed by using his passport. -6- Zhang's decision to remain in the United States as a result of a business transaction turned sour and noted that the seizure of his home was not related to his practice of Falun Gong, but instead to the fact that he had effectively abandoned his job, and that the Company owned the house. Moreover, the IJ noted, Zhang had not corroborated his testimony with a letter from either his wife or his mentor He, but even if he had done so, this would not have discharged his burden of proof on this count. Finally, the IJ held that Zhang had provided no evidence that he was tortured in China, defeating his claim for protection under CAT. The IJ granted Zhang voluntary departure.