Indian-origin man wrongfully jailed for 43 years faces deportation threat after release

After spending more than four decades behind bars for a crime he did not commit, 64-year-old Subramanyam Subu Vedam’s long-awaited freedom in the United States has taken an unexpected turn. Moments after being released from Pennsylvania’s Huntingdon State Correctional Institution, Vedam was reportedly detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over an old deportation order.

Vedam, who moved to the US from India as an infant and has lived there nearly all his life, was exonerated earlier this month after a Pennsylvania court overturned his 1983 murder conviction. 

According to reports, the ruling came after it was revealed that prosecutors had withheld a crucial FBI report from the defence one that could have cast doubt on key evidence used against him.

Court documents cited by The Miami Herald stated that the report contained details about the bullet hole size in the victim’s skull, which contradicted the prosecution’s theory about the weapon used. Judge Jonathan Grine ruled that if the evidence had been disclosed, it could have changed the jury’s verdict.

Following the court’s decision, Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna reportedly dismissed all charges against Vedam, noting the passage of time and the loss of key witnesses. His exoneration made him the longest-serving wrongfully convicted person in Pennsylvania’s history, and among the longest in the US, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Vedam, who entered prison as a young man, reportedly spent his decades of incarceration educating others. He created literacy programs, helped fellow inmates earn high school diplomas, and completed multiple degrees himself – including an MBA earned with a perfect 4.0 GPA. He is said to be the first person in over 150 years at the State Prison to earn a graduate degree while incarcerated.

However, soon after his release, ICE officers took him into custody, citing a ‘legacy deportation order’ from the 1980s. The order, according to officials, stemmed from a teenage drug conviction involving LSD possession with intent to distribute. While the order had remained inactive during his life sentence, it was reactivated upon his release.

In a statement cited by Miami Herald, ICE said Vedam ‘has a standing removal order’ and is considered ‘a convicted controlled substance trafficker.’ The agency added that individuals with such orders ‘are priorities for enforcement.’

Vedam’s attorney, Ava Benach, has reportedly challenged that description, arguing that the drug conviction stemmed from conduct committed when he was a teenager and that deporting him now would be another grave injustice. Benach also noted that Vedam’s wrongful murder conviction had prevented him from contesting the deportation order decades ago.

His family has expressed deep shock at the development. In a statement quoted by Miami Herald, they said the immigration issue is a remnant of Subu’s original case, adding that they have asked immigration authorities to reopen the matter in light of his exoneration.

Vedam’s sister, Saraswathi Vedam, told the outlet that her brother’s decades in prison were defined by resilience and service. “Rather than succumb to despair, he turned his wrongful imprisonment into an opportunity to educate and help others,” she said. His niece, Zoe Miller Vedam, added that deporting him to India where he has no family and hasn’t lived since infancy would be devastating.

Vedam’s mother, who visited him every week for 34 years, passed away in 2016, while his father, Dr K Vedam, Professor Emeritus of Physics, died in 2009.

Vedam’s legal team has reportedly filed motions to reopen his immigration case and to pause the deportation proceedings. They argue that immigration law provides discretion in cases involving rehabilitation and extraordinary circumstances.

According to Benach, “Had Subu not been wrongfully convicted, he would likely have retained his permanent residency decades ago. Deporting him now would only compound a lifetime of injustice.”