⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

The First Circuit hears Mbizi versus Blanche. This recording includes discussion of sexual violence. Mbizi and her family sought asylum in the United States after leaving the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She says that guards detained and assaulted her after she witnessed violence at a military general's home, where she worked. An immigration judge did not find her account credible and denied asylum. The Board of Immigration Appeals upheld that ruling, and the family sought review in the First Circuit. The argument will focus on how the agency assessed a medical record she offered to support her account, and whether its doubts were adequately grounded in the evidence. This is judicial review of the agency's decision, not a new asylum hearing. Listen for the distinction between legitimate credibility concerns and assumptions about what a hospital record should contain. Sending the case back would require further agency consideration, not automatically grant asylum.

Carine Balenda Mbizi, et al. v. Blanche (No. 25-2142) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, argued November 4, 2026.