Ter-Gukasyan

MEMORANDUM **

Gurgen Ter-Gukasyan, a native of Iran and a citizen of Armenia, seeks review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ decision affirming without opinion the Immigration Judge’s (“IJ”) order denying his application for asylum, withholding of removal and CAT relief. Because we conclude that the IJ’s adverse credibility determination was supported by substantial evidence, we deny Ter-Gukasyan’s petition for review.

Ter-Gukasyan previously applied for and was denied refugee status. In February 1994, he completed a Form 1-590 citing as his reason for fleeing Armenia his home’s destruction in an earthquake. “At present I live in very bad means and that is why it compels me to leave my homeland.” Interviewed by a United States embassy official in March 1994, he confirmed that he “[w]ant[ed] to escape the severe economic situation” in Armenia. He said that he had never been persecuted and had no reason to believe that he would be persecuted in the future. He expressly denied ever being subject to persecution on account of his race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a social group. Ter-Gukasyan acknowledged that he understood what was going on at the…