Bhagwant Singh v. Loretta E. Lynch

MEMORANDUM

Substantial evidence supports the BIA’s adverse credibility finding. The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) identified three reasons for its adverse credibility finding: (1) Singh presented inconsistent information surrounding his political membership; (2) Singh presented inconsistent information about where he was arrested; and (3) Singh’s corroborative documents did not support his claim of persecution.

1. Singh was inconsistent between (a) his first asylum application and asylum interview and (b) his second asylum application and testimony before the immigration judge (IJ) regarding his membership (or lack thereof) with Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), a designated terrorist organization. Singh was confronted with this inconsistency. The IJ reasonably rejected Singh’s explanation that he was nervous, noting that the interviews occurred a considerable time after Singh entered the United States, he brought his own interpreter with him, and the asylum officer testified that he was not nervous. See Rizk v. Holder, 629 F.3d 1083, 1088 (9th Cir.2011). The record does not compel a different conclusion.

2. Singh was inconsistent about where he was arrested (at his home…