Qingyi Ren v. Eric Holder, Jr.

MEMORANDUM

Petitioner Qingyi Ren (“Ren”), a native and citizen of China, petitions for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ (“BIA”) decision affirming the Immigration Judge’s (“IJ”) adverse credibility finding. We have jurisdiction under 8 U.S.C. § 1252 (a)(2)(B)(ii), and, because substantial evidence supports the IJ’s decision, we affirm. See Rizk v. Holder, 629 F.3d 1083, 1087 (9th Cir.2011).

Ren claims asylum and withholding of removal based on persecution in connection with the Chinese government’s termination of his wife’s second pregnancy and planned sterilization of Ren. Because the Attorney General has rejected the per se rule that an applicant may qualify for asylum based solely on a spouse’s forced abortion, see Matter of J-S-, 24 I. & N. Dec. 520, 537-38 (A.G.2008), the IJ appropriately focused on Ren’s own fear of persecution.

The IJ articulated several legitimate bases to question Ren’s credibility and offered specific and cogent reasons for her stated determination of lack of credibility. Rivera v. Mukasey, 508 F.3d 1271, 1275 (9th Cir.2007). Ren failed to mention any threats of sterilization in his written statement in support of his asylum application.…