NONPRECEDENTIAL DISPOSITION To be cited only in accordance with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1 United States Court of Appeals For the Seventh Circuit Chicago, Illinois 60604 Submitted January 21, 2021* Decided January 22, 2021 Before FRANK H. EASTERBROOK, Circuit Judge MICHAEL S. KANNE, Circuit Judge DAVID F. HAMILTON, Circuit Judge No. 20-1638 SUKHDEEP SINGH, On Petition for Review of an Order of the Petitioner, Board of Immigration Appeals. v. No. A208-177-595 MONTY WILKINSON, Acting Attorney General of the United States. Respondent. ORDER Sukhdeep Singh, an Indian citizen belonging to a Sikh-dominated political party, petitions for review of an order of the Board of Immigration Appeals upholding the denial of his applications for asylum, withholding of removal, and relief under the Convention Against Torture. Because substantial evidence supports the Board’s determination, we deny his petition. * We have agreed to decide the case without oral argument because the briefs and record adequately present the facts and legal arguments, and oral argument would not significantly aid the court. FED. R. APP. P. 34(a)(2)(C). We have substituted Monty Wilkinson, the acting Attorney General, for the respondent. FED. R. APP. P. 43(c). No. 20-1638 Page 2 Singh’s claim for asylum and associated relief arises from his adherence to Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar, also known as the Mann Party, a Sikh-dominated political party and separatist group. Singh, who is from Punjab in northern India, began working for the Mann Party in December 2013. He supported the party’s efforts to help the underprivileged in Punjab and to create an independent state for Sikhs. In mid-2014, members of another Sikh-dominated political party, the Badal Party, began targeting Singh for his involvement in the Mann Party, which they believed was splitting the Sikh vote and threatening the Badal Party’s power. As Singh testified, he started receiving phone calls from persons who threatened violence if he did not disassociate from the Mann Party. In November 2014, members of the Badal Party attacked Singh and beat him unconscious. When he tried to report the incident, the police refused to listen to him. In February 2015, he was assaulted by the same attackers but managed to escape. A few weeks later he fled India, and in May he was smuggled into the United States. The Department of Homeland Security promptly initiated removal proceedings, charging Singh with entering the United States without a valid entry document. See 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(7)(A)(i)(I). He conceded that he was removable as charged. In 2016, he applied for asylum, 8 U.S.C. § 1158, withholding of removal, 8 U.S.C. § 1231(b)(3), and protection under the Convention Against Torture, 8 C.F.R. § 1208.16(c), based on the harm he suffered due to his political opinion and association with the Mann Party. In early 2018, the immigration court in San Francisco scheduled a merits hearing for three years out, in January 2021. In the meantime, Singh married a U.S. citizen, moved from California to Indiana, and hired new counsel. In April 2018, he sought a change of venue to the ...
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