Yuezhen Yang v. Eric Holder, Jr.

MEMORANDUM

Yuezhen Yang petitions for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ decision denying her claims for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture. We deny the petition. Because the parties are familiar with the history of this case, we need not recount it here.

Substantial evidence supports the adverse credibility determination. Under the REAL ID Act, an inconsistency can support an adverse credibility finding even if it does not go to the heart of the claim. Shrestha v. Holder, 590 F.3d 1034, 1043 (9th Cir.2010). Here, Yang testified that she did not organize a protest until May 2005, well after her firing. But an August 2004 letter stated that factory officials were firing Yang because she was detained for organizing sit-in demonstrations. The immigration judge (IJ) considered Yang’s explanation for this inconsistency and concluded that Yang did not explain the discrepancy. Yang’s explanation that a facto ry leader concocted a reason to fire her that directly corresponded to events that occurred nearly a year later was neither reasonable nor plausible. Therefore, the IJ did not need to discuss her reasons for rejecting the…