Post by : Rameen Ariff

In a rare act of judicial relief, two US courts have ordered immigration authorities not to deport Subramanyam Vedam, a 64-year-old Indian-origin man who spent 43 years in prison before his wrongful murder conviction was overturned earlier this year.

Vedam, known to family and friends as “Subu,” was just nine months old when he legally arrived in the United States with his parents. His father was a professor at Penn State University, and Vedam grew up in State College, Pennsylvania. Despite his long life in America and status as a legal permanent resident, he now faces deportation over a decades-old drug case.

An immigration judge on Thursday issued a stay on his deportation until the Bureau of Immigration Appeals decides whether to review his case — a process that could take months. The same day, the US District Court in Pennsylvania also granted a stay, further delaying any immediate deportation.

Vedam’s troubles began in 1982 when he was accused of murdering his friend, Thomas Kinser, in 1980. Despite no witnesses or clear motive, he was convicted twice and spent over four decades behind bars. In August 2025, a Pennsylvania judge overturned his conviction after new ballistics evidence emerged — evidence that prosecutors had failed to disclose for years.

Vedam was released from prison in October, but instead of gaining freedom, he was taken into immigration custody and transferred to a deportation holding centre in Alexandria, Louisiana.

The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is pursuing his deportation over a no-contest plea to LSD delivery charges from when Vedam was 20 years old. His lawyers argue that the extraordinary injustice he endured — spending 43 years wrongfully imprisoned — should outweigh the minor, decades-old drug offence.

A spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security stated that overturning the murder conviction does not nullify the earlier drug plea, saying, “Having a single conviction vacated will not stop ICE’s enforcement of the federal immigration law.”

Vedam’s family remains hopeful. His sister, Saraswathi Vedam, expressed relief that judges have recognized the need for caution: “Subu has lived in the US since he was a baby. Deporting him now would be another deep injustice after everything he’s suffered.”

For now, Vedam remains in custody, waiting for the immigration court’s next move — a decision that could determine whether a man wronged by the system for most of his life will finally get the chance to stay in the country he’s always called home.

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