n Indian-origin man in Arkansas, Kapil Raghu, is fighting to have his US visa reinstated after a routine traffic stop turned into a nightmare. Raghu was arrested in May when local police mistook a designer perfume labelled “opium” for illegal narcotics, leading to his detention by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He is now living under the threat of deportation, his attorney said.
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Traffic Stop Turns Legal Nightmare
Raghu, married to an American citizen and pursuing permanent residency, was pulled over by Benton police on May 3 for a minor traffic violation. Police discovered a small bottle labelled “opium” in his car and assumed it contained illegal drugs. Despite his insistence that it was perfume, he was arrested on suspicion of drug possession.
“You got a vial of opium that was in your centre console,” officers told him, as captured on bodycam footage reported by The Guardian.
At the time of the arrest, Raghu was making a food delivery. “I was complying with all regulations and was confused by the arrest,” he told Saline Courier. The Arkansas State Crime Lab later verified that the bottle contained perfume, not opium.
Visa Revoked Amid Detention
Despite the narcotics charge being dropped by a district court on May 20, Raghu spent three days in Saline County Jail before being transferred to a federal immigration facility in Louisiana, where ICE held him for 30 days. During this period, his visa was revoked due to what attorney Mike Laux described as an “administrative error.”
“It is my understanding that, though released, Kapil now has a ‘deportation’ status, meaning he can be immediately deported for any minor offence, even jaywalking,” Laux told The Guardian. “But, more crucially, this classification bars him from working and earning money for his family, which has been devastating for them.”
Raghu explained in a letter to ICE that the visa issue arose due to his previous attorney failing to file paperwork on time. “The mounting legal fees and the pressure of not being able to contribute have created a difficult situation for our family,” he wrote. “My wife is carrying the entire financial burden.”
Family Struggles Amid Legal Chaos
The ordeal has deeply affected Raghu’s family. “She used to call me every night… Crying, and my stepdaughter putting a Bible on her chest, crying. My stepdaughter was crying a lot. And my wife [Alhley Mays] was planning to sell her cars and move to some other country where we can live happily,” Raghu told THV11.
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Mays, who married Raghu in April, has been working three jobs to cover legal fees after the family’s savings, intended for a home, were depleted. “This doesn’t just affect Kapil [Raghu] and me. My daughter looks at him as a father figure. He missed her fourth-grade graduation because he was locked up,” she said.
“This doesn’t just affect Kapil [Raghu] and me. My daughter looks at him as a father figure. He missed her fourth-grade graduation because he was locked up,” Mays added.
Raghu also highlighted the long-term psychological impact of the incident: “It was just cologne… If a cop gets behind me on the road, I just panic. I wouldn’t normally think twice, but now I’m paranoid.”
Benton police have been accused of violating the Vienna Convention by not notifying the Indian Consulate, denying Raghu access to consular support. The Department of Homeland Security, overseeing ICE, has not made any statement on the case.
