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‘Opium’ perfume lands Indian man in ICE custody, now facing deportation in US
‘You got a vial of opium’: Perfume lands Indian man in ICE custody, now faces deportation
An Indian-origin man in Arkansas, Kapil Raghu, was wrongly arrested after police mistook a perfume labelled “Opium” for an illegal narcotic. Although the charges were dropped, Raghu now faces deportation and seeks to have his US visa reinstated, according to UK daily Guardian report.
How did a bottle of perfume land Kapil Raghu in ICE custody?
Kapil Raghu, an Indian national married to an American citizen and working towards permanent residency, was stopped on 3 May by Benton police, a suburb of Little Rock, Arkansas, for a minor traffic violation. During the stop, officers discovered a small perfume bottle labelled “Opium” and assumed it contained illegal drugs.“You got a vial of opium that was in your center console,” an officer told Raghu, according to bodycam footage obtained by THV11. “Go and take a seat.”
Despite Kapil Raghu insisting that the bottle contained perfume and that the name referred to the scent, he was arrested on suspicion of drug possession.
“I was not doing anything wrong when he pulled me over. I was following all regulations,” Raghu told the Saline Courier.
Kapil Raghu's wife, Ashley Mays, who arrived at the scene, said: “I'm confused on why he's going to jail.”
What happened after the arrest of Kapil Raghu?
The Arkansas State Crime Lab later confirmed that the substance in the bottle was indeed perfume, not opium. Nevertheless, Raghu spent three days in the Saline County jail, where authorities discovered an administrative/legal error showing that his visa had expired.Kapil Raghu was subsequently transferred to a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Louisiana, where he remained detained for 30 days.
“She used to call me every night,” Kapil Raghu told THV11. “Crying, and my stepdaughter putting a Bible on her chest, crying. My stepdaughter was crying a lot. And she (Mays) was planning to sell her cars and move to some other country where we can live happily.”
Are the charges still active?
The charges against Kapil Raghu were officially dropped by a district court judge on 20 May, yet the ICE detainment has complicated his path to permanent residency. His wife has noted on a fundraising page that his work visa was revoked, leaving him unable to earn an income.“It is my understanding that, though released, Kapil Raghu now has a ‘deportation' status, meaning he can be immediately deported for any minor offense, even jaywalking,” said attorney Mike Laux.
“But, more crucially, this classification bars him from working and earning money for his family, which has been devastating for them.”
What steps is Raghu taking to resolve his immigration status?
Kapil Raghu sent a letter to ICE's legal office this week, explaining the situation and requesting that his visa status be reinstated through proper legal channels.Kapil Raghu explained that a failure by his immigration attorney to file the required paperwork before his visa expired left him vulnerable:
“My wife, who has always been my greatest support, is carrying the entire financial burden alone, as I am currently unable to work. The mounting legal fees and the pressure of not being able to contribute have created a difficult situation for our family, and it has become increasingly challenging to manage,” Raghu wrote.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not immediately comment on the case.
Source: LiveMint
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