Two Courts Block Deportation of Wrongfully Convicted Pennsylvania Man

Tue Nov 04 2025 08:56:19 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Subramanyam Vedam, who was imprisoned for 43 years before being exonerated, is now fighting against deportation after being detained in Louisiana. Courts have temporarily halted his removal while his immigration case is reviewed.

A Pennsylvania man, Subramanyam Vedam, arrested for a murder he did not commit, has been granted stays against deportation by two separate courts after spending four decades in prison. Vedam’s family expresses relief and hopes that the immigration authorities reconsider their decision following his exoneration.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Two separate courts have ordered immigration officials not to deport Subramanyam Vedam, a Pennsylvania man who spent over four decades in prison before his murder conviction was overturned.

Subramanyam Vedam, 64, is currently detained at a short-term holding center in Alexandria, Louisiana, that is equipped for deportations. Known as “Subu,” he was transferred from central Pennsylvania last week, according to his relatives.

An immigration judge stayed his deportation on Thursday, pending a review by the Bureau of Immigration Appeals, which could take several months. Additionally, Vedam’s lawyers secured a stay in U.S. District Court in Pennsylvania, though that case might be on hold given the immigration court ruling.

Vedam emigrated legally from India as an infant and grew up in State College, Pennsylvania, where his father worked at Penn State. He was serving a life sentence for a friend’s death in 1980 before being exonerated earlier this year.

Upon his release from state prison on October 3, he was taken directly into immigration custody.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seeks to deport Vedam due to a prior no contest plea related to LSD delivery when he was approximately 20 years old. His legal team argues that spending 43 years in prison for a wrongful conviction should outweigh the drug-related charge.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson remarked that the reversal of Vedam's murder conviction does not negate the drug conviction. However, Vedam’s sister expressed relief over the judicial decisions, stating, “We’re also hopeful that the Board of Immigration Appeals will ultimately agree that Subu’s deportation would represent another untenable injustice.”