Lazaro Vail-Diaz v. Eric H. Holder Jr.

Good Law
403 F. App'x 286
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitNovember 17, 201008-74634California251 words

Opinion

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

Lazaro Nazario Vail-Diaz, a native and citizen of Guatemala, petitions for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) decision affirming the immigration judge’s denial of his applications for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture. We deny the petition.

The BIA properly rejected Vail-Diaz’s asylum claim as time-barred. Vail-Diaz did not file an application for asylum within the statutorily mandated period of one year. 8 U.S.C. § 1158 (a)(2)(B). Substantial evidence supports the BIA’s conclusion that Vail-Diaz had not proven the extraordinary circumstances necessary to justify the late filing.

Substantial evidence also supports the BIA’s adverse credibility determination. Vail-Diaz’s testimony was inconsistent on numerous occasions, and those inconsistencies went to the heart of his claim. In addition, when read as a whole, the record demonstrates frequent changes in VailDiaz’s story when asked for clarification about the details, which supports the BIA’s determination that he was not credible. Therefore, the BIA did not err in rejecting his application for withholding of removal.

Substantial evidence also supports…

Sign in to read the full opinion

Create a free account to read the complete opinion text, citation history, and good-law status for this case.