In re Iraheta
United States Board of Immigration Appeals
BIA Unpublished Dec., File No. A24 247 299 (Sept. 10, 1990)
- Written by Mary Katherine Cunningham, JD
Facts
Berta Lidia Iraheta (defendant) entered the United States from El Salvador, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) (plaintiff) initiated deportation proceedings before an immigration judge (IJ). At the proceeding, Iraheta testified she became active in the Revolutionary Secondary Student Movement (MERS), a student organization, and the Popular United Action Front (FAPU), an anti-government group. Iraheta testified that while in secondary school, she helped organize meetings and recruited members for MERS and FAPU. Iraheta also testified that she passed out leaflets objecting to the killing of innocent civilians and espousing liberty for both groups. Iraheta testified that the Salvadoran government and armed services persecuted members of MERS, torturing and killing Iraheta’s friends and acquaintances in the movement. Iraheta also testified that her fiancé, a man active in MERS, disappeared in February 1980 after the torture and death of his four brothers. Iraheta testified that her friends informed Iraheta that members of the government were looking for her at her mother’s house, causing her to flee El Salvador. Iraheta also introduced documentary evidence about her case and the situation in El Salvador to support her claim. The IJ denied Iraheta’s application for asylum, finding that she failed to meet her burden of proof. The IJ found that Iraheta’s testimony lacked detail and particularity about the political beliefs of MERS and FAPU and her opposition to the Salvadoran government. The IJ also found that Iraheta’s testimony conflicted with her submitted affidavit. The IJ also found Iraheta was hesitant and unemotional during her testimony, a fact that undermined her credibility. The IJ did not state whether Iraheta’s testimony was sufficient for asylum purposes, concluding that her testimony was substantially untrue instead. Iraheta appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), reasserting her asylum claim.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Dunne, J.)
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