Case: 21-60437 Document: 00516780588 Page: 1 Date Filed: 06/09/2023 United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit ____________ FILED June 9, 2023 No. 21-60437 Lyle W. Cayce ____________ Clerk Metoh Irenaeus Fuechorih, Petitioner, versus Merrick Garland, U.S. Attorney General, Respondent. ______________________________ Appeal from the Board of Immigration Appeals Agency No. A203 680 222 ______________________________ Before Dennis, Engelhardt, and Oldham, Circuit Judges. Per Curiam:* Metoh Irenaeus Fuechorih is a native and citizen of Cameroon who sought admission to the United States at a port of entry in 2019. Fuechorih was placed in removal proceedings, and subsequently applied for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention against Torture (CAT). The Immigration Judge (IJ) found Fuechorih removable as charged and denied his applications for relief and protection from removal based in part on an adverse credibility finding. The Board of Immigration _____________________ * This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5th Cir. R. 47.5. Case: 21-60437 Document: 00516780588 Page: 2 Date Filed: 06/09/2023 No. 21-60437 Appeals (BIA) found no error in the IJ’s decision and dismissed Fuechorih’s appeal. Fuechorih now petitions this court for review. For the reasons discussed below, we DENY his petition. I. Factual and Procedural History Fuechorih, born in the northwest region of Cameroon, is an anglophone who joined the Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC) in 2016 to protest discrimination against anglophone Cameroonians. The Cameroonian government, which is majority-francophone, has deemed the SCNC an “illegal” organization due to its goal of creating a separate, anglophone nation in Southern Cameroon. The government often arrests SCNC members for associating publicly. Between 2018 and 2019, Cameroonian police officers twice detained Fuechorih for over a week due to his participation in SCNC protests. During these detentions, Fuechorih was mocked for being anglophone, asked to denounce the SCNC, beaten twice daily, and told he would be killed. After recovering from his second detention, Fuechorih fled Cameroon with the help of his father. Fuechorih presented himself at the United States– Mexico border seeking asylum and was detained by immigration officials. The government provided Fuechorih with a credible fear interview and placed him in removal proceedings. The asylum officer who conducted the credible fear interview found Fuechorih to have a credible fear of persecution based on political opinion. Fuechorih, appearing pro se before the IJ, applied for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under CAT. In support of his applications, Fuechorih submitted his own declaration as well as those from his parents and a close friend from Cameroon who allegedly cared for him after his second detention. After holding a hearing where Fuechorih testified in support of his applications, the IJ found Fuechorih removable as charged and denied his applications for relief and protection from removal. 2 Case: 21-60437 Document: 00516780588 Page: 3 Date Filed: 06/09/2023 No. 21-60437 The IJ made an adverse credibility finding against Fuechorih based on ten discrepancies between his testimony and his other submitted evidence, which “called into question the veracity of …
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