Arkansas mother and son file suit accusing police department of illegal detention 

Two Benton County residents who are U.S. citizens are suing Centerton police for detaining them at the request of federal immigration officers even though they showed valid identification. 

In a federal lawsuit filed last week, Maria Guadalupe Rodriguez and her adult son, Jose Ricardo Munoz, argue three Centerton police officers violated their constitutional rights during a traffic stop in March 2025. The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution protects people against unreasonable searches and seizures. 

Rodriguez is the legal guardian of Munoz, who is incapacitated, the complaint said. 

Chief of Police Cody Harper did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday. Harper is a defendant in the case along with officers William McCain, Larry McConnell and Joan Mosquera.

According to the complaint, McCain stopped Rodriguez for a minor traffic violation. She denies committing any traffic violations that supported the initial stop. 

McCain determined Rodriguez was driving on a valid Arkansas driver’s license after running her personal information through the Arkansas Criminal Information Center. Munoz produced a valid Arkansas identification card and McCain confirmed he was not wanted for any criminal violations. 

All three officers searched, handcuffed and arrested Rodriguez and her son for suspicion of being in the United States without proper documents or authorization, according to the complaint. They were taken to the Centerton Police Department where it was determined they were U.S. citizens and they were released without any traffic or criminal charges.

McCain’s police report indicates the arrest was made at the behest of federal Immigration Customs and Enforcement agents. It appears they were attempting to serve an “Immigration Administrative Arrest Warrant” on Rodriguez, but they took the wrong person into custody, according to the complaint. 

“Even if Centerton police officers had found and detained the correct person in Ms. Rodriguez, they had zero authority to violate the rights of Mr. Munoz, who was an innocent passenger in a car,” the complaint said. “In America, guilt by association is not a crime and will not support a reasonable suspicion or probable cause for a detention, search, or arrest.”

Traffic stops and the detention of U.S. citizens have become a flashpoint during the Trump administration’s national crackdown on immigration. 

Federal immigration officers have shot 22 people and killed six, including three U.S. citizens, since January 2025. Most shootings have stemmed from traffic stops. 

In Arkansas, ICE interactions can originate from traffic stops, in part due to a 2025 state law that requires Division of Correction and county sheriffs to participate in the model of the federal 287(g) program that permits local law enforcement to serve administrative warrants on immigrants in their custody. 

The federal program, which has three models, allows state and local law enforcement to perform specific immigration duties. Forty-four Arkansas municipalities have opted into the 287(g) program. Centerton is not one of them, according to ICE’s website.

The complaint also argues Centerton’s policy concerning the impoundment, towing and inventory searches of vehicles violates the Fourth Amendment because it allows for the seizure of a vehicle even when the detention and arrest of the suspect lacks sufficient reasonable suspicion or probable cause that they’ve committed a criminal offense. 

During Rodriguez’ traffic stop, police prevented her adult daughter, a U.S. citizen with a valid Arkansas driver’s license, from taking the car, and the impoundment cost around $300, according to the complaint. 

Rodriguez and her son are seeking monetary damages for violating their rights and a jury trial on all issues.