Preet Kaur v. Alberto R. Gonzales, Attorney General

Preet Kaur (“Kaur”) petitions for review of a decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”), affirming the Immigration Judge’s (“IJ”) decision denying her requests for asylum, withholding of removal, and relief under the Convention Against Torture (“CAT”). The IJ denied Kaui*’s application because he found her not credible. Kaur asserts that the IJ’s adverse credibility determination was based upon impermissible grounds and was not supported by substantial evidence. Specifically, she argues that the IJ relied on inconsistencies that may have weakened her claim for asylum, but that had no bearing on her credibility.

The question presented here is significant: Must an IJ ignore repeated and blatant inconsistencies throughout an alien’s hearing testimony and applications, simply because, when viewed individually, each inconsistency actually served to weaken her eligibility for relief? We conclude that nothing in our case law mandates such a technical approach to credibility determinations. Accordingly, we hold that, in light of the facts of this case, the IJ’s adverse credibility determination was supported by substantial evidence. We deny the petition.

I. FACTS AND…