Vuvu v. Blanche

── Vuvu v. Blanche ── Court: Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Date: May 21, 2026 Category: General NOT FOR PUBLICATION FILED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS MAY 21 2026 MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT DANIEL MBADILA VUVU; ALICE No. 25-5620 NSIMBA MANZAMBI; D. M. M.; I. M. Agency Nos. M.; E. M. M., A246-562-747 A246-562-748 Petitioners, A246-562-749 A246-562-750 v. A246-562-751 TODD BLANCHE, Acting Attorney General, MEMORANDUM* Respondent. On Petition for Review of an Order of the Board of Immigration Appeals Submitted May 19, 2026** Seattle, Washington Before: TALLMAN, OWENS, and R. NELSON, Circuit Judges. * This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3. ** The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2).  Petitioner Daniel Mbadila Vuvu (“Vuvu”), an Angolan national, petitions for review of the decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) dismissing his appeal of the Immigration Judge’s (“IJ”) denial of his applications for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture. We have jurisdiction to review the petition pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(1). We deny the petition. 1. Substantial evidence supports the agency’s adverse credibility determination. Under the REAL ID Act, credibility determinations are based on the “totality of the circumstances,” and may rely on inconsistencies without regard to whether they go to the “heart of the . . . claim.” Alam v. Garland, 11 F.4th 1133, 1135–36 (9th Cir. 2021) (en banc) (quoting 8 U.S.C. § 1158(b)(1)(B)(iii)). Here, the IJ identified multiple inconsistencies, including (1) conflicting statements regarding Vuvu’s place of birth, (2) discrepancies in his account of an alleged beating—such as whether his assailants were police or military, and the type of vehicle involved—and (3) shifting testimony regarding the duration of his involvement in his political party. Indeed, Vuvu admitted that he provided false information about his place of birth. And the IJ reasonably rejected his explanations for these discrepancies. See Li v. Garland, 13 F.4th 954, 961 (9th Cir. 2021) (emphasizing that IJs are not required to accept petitioners’ explanations for discrepancies in the record). 2 25-5620  Substantial evidence also supports the agency’s conclusion that Vuvu failed to provide sufficient corroborating evidence to meet his burden of proof. The IJ reasonably afforded limited weight to letters from interested witnesses not subject to cross-examination and found that documentary evidence did not independently establish his claims. Because the record does not compel a contrary conclusion, we uphold the adverse credibility determination. 2. Vuvu’s due process challenge based on interpretation deficiencies also fails. “The Fifth Amendment guarantees due process in deportation proceedings.” Colmenar v. INS, 210 F.3d 967, 971 (9th. Cir. 2000). To establish a due process violation, a petitioner must demonstrate that “(1) the proceeding was so fundamentally unfair that the alien was prevented from reasonably presenting his case . . . and (2) the alien de