Coto-Albarenga v. Garland, No. 20-2539 (8th Cir. 2021)
Annotate this Case
The Eighth Circuit denied a petition for review of the BIA's decision affirming the IJ's denial of petitioner's application for asylum, withholding of removal, and relief under the Convention Against Torture. The court concluded that substantial evidence supported the IJ's specific, cogent reasons for finding that petitioner's testimony was not credible.
In this case, the IJ identified petitioner's inconsistency regarding the year her relationship began with her abusive boyfriend; pointed to contradictions about her living arrangements with him; noted her omission, until the hearing, of his shooting at her house; mentioned her failure to describe, until the hearing, the gang ambush; cited her failure to indicate, until the hearing, that he was a member of a gang; noted that her mother's letter of support mentioned only one pregnancy and did not mention any threat from the boyfriend; detailed discrepancies between petitioner's statement and the medical records she submitted; and determined that she was nonresponsive to the question asked of her during the hearing.
Court Description: [Smith, Author, with Colloton and Erickson, Circuit Judges] Petition for Review - Immigration. The Immigration Judge articulated specific, cogent reasons for concluding petitioner was not credible, and those reasons were supported by substantial evidence; the petition for review of the decision to deny asylum, withholding of removal and CAT relief is denied.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.