Dembo Camara v. Eric Holder, Jr.

MEMORANDUM

Lizhu Zhang, a native and citizen of China, petitions for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ order dismissing his appeal from an immigration judge’s decision denying his application for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture (“CAT”). We have jurisdiction under 8 U.S.C. § 1252 . We review for substantial evidence the agency’s factual findings, applying the new standards governing adverse credibility determinations created by the REAL ID Act, Shrestha v. Holder, 590 F.3d 1034, 1039-40 (9th Cir.2010), and we deny the petition for review.

Substantial evidence supports the agency’s adverse credibility determination because of numerous unexplained inconsistencies in Zhang’s testimony, and between his testimony and written declaration, regarding significant aspects of his claim. See id. at 1045-48 (adverse credibility determination was reasonable under the REAL ID Act’s “totality of the circumstances”); Kaur v. Gonzales, 418 F.3d 1061, 1067 (9th Cir.2005) (repeated and significant inconsistencies deprived claim of the requisite “ring of truth”). In the absence of credible testimony, Zhang’s asylum and withholding of…