An Indian-origin man in Arkansas was detained for a month by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after authorities reportedly mistook his bottle of perfume for opium. He is now seeking to have his visa status reinstated after the charges were dropped.Kapil Raghu, married to an American citizen and pursuing US citizenship, was taken into custody on May 3 following a traffic stop in Benton, a suburb of Little Rock, his attorney Mike Laux said, as reported by the Guardian. “You got a vial of opium that was in your center console,” an officer said to Raghu. “Go and take a seat.”During the traffic stop, police discovered a small perfume bottle in Raghu’s car labeled “Opium” and arrested him for alleged narcotics possession, despite his explanation that the bottle contained perfume and that “Opium” referred to the fragrance. Officers reportedly accused Raghu of carrying an illegal substance.“I was not doing anything wrong when he pulled me over. I was following all regulations,” Raghu was quoted as saying by The Saline Courier. “The problem was he didn’t know for what cause he was arresting me. I asked what the arrest was for. I didn’t even know what I did wrong.”The Arkansas State Crime Lab confirmed that the bottle contained perfume, not opium. Nevertheless, Raghu spent three days in Saline County Jail, where authorities discovered an “administrative/legal error” indicating his visa had expired, his attorney, Mike Laux, said.ICE then took him into custody and transferred him to a federal immigration facility in Louisiana, where he was held for 30 days.Although a district court judge officially dropped the charges against Raghu on May 20, his ICE detention disrupted his path to permanent US citizenship. According to a fundraising page set up to cover legal fees and basic expenses, Raghu’s work visa was revoked.“It is my understanding that, though released, Kapil now has a ‘deportation’ status, meaning he can be immediately deported for any minor offense, even jaywalking,” a statement by Laux read. “But, more crucially, this classification bars him from working and earning money for his family, which has been devastating for them.”Raghu sent a letter to ICE’s legal office this week, outlining his case and requesting guidance on resolving his immigration status through official legal channels.Ashley Mays, Raghu’s wife, has taken on three jobs to cover legal fees after their savings, originally meant for a home, were exhausted. Their 10-year-old daughter, who looks up to Raghu as a father figure, has begun attending counseling.“It was just cologne,” Ashley said. “If a cop gets behind me on the road, I just panic. I wouldn’t normally think twice, but now I’m paranoid.”
