Karouni

I. BACKGROUND1

Karouni is a native and citizen of Lebanon, who first entered the United States in 1987 on a multiple-entry, non- immigrant visitor for pleasure visa.2 In March 1998, Karouni timely filed an application for asylum with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (“INS”).3 See 8 C.F.R. § 1208.4(a)(2) (requiring all applications for asylum to be filed within one year after arrival in the United States or one year after the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act’s (“IIRIRA”), Pub. L. No. 104-208, 110 Stat. 3009 (Sept. 30, 1996), April 1, 1997, effective date, 1 The following facts are taken as true because the IJ found Karouni to be credible, and the BIA made no findings of its own. See Rodriguez- Matamoros v. INS, 86 F.3d 158, 159 (9th Cir. 1996). 2 In 1988, Karouni was convicted for a hit and run vehicle accident when a motorcycle hit him from behind, but he left the scene. In 1994, he was convicted of grand theft of property when he removed plates from art books at a public library. Because these convictions are not the basis for Karouni’s removability, they would be totally irrelevant to these proceed- ings, except, as discussed below, the IJ…