Shaoqing Chen v. Eric Holder, Jr.

Shaoqing Chen, 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 standards governing adverse credibility determinations created by the REAL ID Act, Shrestha v. Holder, 590 F.3d 1034, 1039 (9th Cir.2010), and we deny the petition for review.

Substantial evidence supports the agency’s adverse credibility finding based on the numerous inconsistencies between Chen’s testimony at his hearing and his testimony before an asylum officer, including inconsistencies regarding whether or not Chen signed photographs of himself while he was detained, the distance to the police station, the location of his interrogation room, the number and description of the police officers who interrogated him, and the amount he paid a snakehead. See id. at 1048 (adverse credibility determination was reasonable under the REAL ID Act’s “totality of circumstances”);…