Raman Kumar v. Eric Holder, Jr.

MEMORANDUM

Petitioner Raman Kumar, a native of Punjab, India, made his way to Blaine, Washington on February 12, 2010, after being denied asylum by Canadian immigration authorities. Shortly after his arrival, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) took him into custody. DHS issued a notice to appear, and charged Kumar as removable for being present within the United States without admission or parole. Kumar conceded the charges and applied for asylum. He also sought withholding of removal and relief under the Convention Against Torture. The basis for Kumar’s asylum application and his other requests for relief was that the Punjab police repeatedly harassed him on account of his association with two political activist organizations. The immigration judge (“IJ”) denied his claims, finding him to be not credible. The IJ’s adverse-credibility determination was based almost entirely upon Kumar’s admission that he advanced perjured testimony before the Canadian immigration officials. The Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) affirmed.

We may grant the petition only if the record compels a contrary result. Here, it does not. The stories Kumar gave to Canadian and U.S. immigration…