Overview

• Kapil Raghu was arrested on May 3 in Benton, Arkansas, after police mistook a bottle labeled “Opium” for narcotics during a traffic stop captured on bodycam.
• The Arkansas State Crime Lab confirmed the bottle contained perfume, and a district court dropped the narcotics charge on May 20.
• Raghu spent three days in county jail and 30 days in ICE detention in Louisiana, during which his visa was revoked and he was placed in a deportation classification that blocks employment.
• His attorney attributes the visa problem to a prior filing error, and Raghu has asked ICE in writing to reinstate his status.
• The lawyer alleges Benton police failed to notify the Indian Consulate as required by the Vienna Convention, and DHS has not issued a statement on the case.