Court Opinion

ID: 9497967
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 17:04:54.010533+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:58:32.123931
License: Public Domain

MELLOY, Circuit Judge,
Dissenting.
I believe the evidence compels a finding that Mr. Madjakpor holds a well-founded fear of persecution upon his return to Togo. As noted by the majority, the IJ specifically found Mr. Madjakpor to be credible. Mr. Madjakpor provided detailed testimony regarding his own and his family’s experiences in Togo, including the deaths of his father and sister and the torture of his associate. This testimony, accepted as credible and viewed in light of the other evidence, places a burden on the BIA to explain why a demand for corroboration is reasonable and why Mr. Madjak-por’s explanations for the absence of corroboration are insuffiqient. El-Sheikh, 388 F.3d at 647. I do not believe the BIA met this burden. As such, it was error not to rely on Mr. Madjakpor’s credible testi*1047mony. I would grant his request for withholding of removal.