Rong Zhou v. Eric Holder, Jr.

MEMORANDUM

Rong Hua Zhou, a native and citizen of China, petitions for review of the Board of Immigration Appeal’s order dismissing his appeal from an Immigration Judge’s (“IJ”) decision denying her application for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture (“CAT”). We have jurisdiction under 8 U.S.C. § 1252 . We deny the petition for review.

We review for substantial evidence supporting the agency’s factual findings, applying the standards governing adverse credibility determinations created by the REAL ID Act. Shrestha v. Holder, 590 F.3d 1034, 1039 (9th Cir.2010).

The IJ expressed specific and cogent reasons for his adverse credibility finding on the record, including material gaps in Zhou’s testimony, lack of explanation or detail, apparent exaggerations, and a failure to provide a foundation for inconsistent corroborating evidence. In light of these findings, and because they are consistent with the REAL ID Act’s statutory factors, we conclude that substantial evidence supports the IJ’s adverse credibility determination. See id. at 104CM4; 8 U.S.C. § 1158 (b)(l)(B)(iii). In the absence of credible testimony, Zhou’s asylum and…