Decades After Exoneration, Man Faces Deportation to India He Barely Knows
A harrowing ordeal continues for Subramanyam “Subu” Vedam, who after 43 years of wrongful imprisonment, was recently exonerated of a 1980 murder – only to be immediately detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and faces potential deportation to India, a country he left as an infant. His family is now urgently fighting the deportation order, arguing that sending him to a nation with which he has virtually no connection represents a further injustice.
A Lifetime Stolen, Then a Cruel Reversal
The story of Subramanyam Vedam is one of profound loss and resilience. earlier this month, Center county district Attorney Bernie Cantorna announced he would not pursue a new trial following the emergence of new evidence that cleared Mr. Vedam of the murder of his former roommate, Tom Kinser. However,this hard-won freedom proved fleeting.Before Mr. Vedam could reunite with his family, ICE took him into custody, citing a decades-old deportation order.
“He was held wrongly and one would think
The case dates back to 1980, when Mr. Vedam was convicted of murdering 19-year-old Tom kinser. Kinser’s body was discovered nine months after his disappearance in a wooded area,bearing a single gunshot wound.Mr. Vedam had asked Kinser for a ride on the day he vanished,and while Kinser’s vehicle was later found,the circumstances surrounding its return remained unclear. Authorities labeled Mr. vedam a “foreigner likely to flee” and denied him bail, seizing his passport and green card.
He was ultimately sentenced to life in prison two years later. In 1984, a separate sentence of two-and-a-half to five years was added for a drug offence, to be served concurrently.Throughout his incarceration, Mr. Vedam consistently maintained his innocence, with supporters and family emphasizing the lack of physical evidence linking him to the crime.
Exoneration and the Shadow of Deportation
Years of appeals eventually led to the surfacing of new evidence that ultimately exonerated Mr. Vedam. However, the family was aware that a 1988 deportation order, stemming from both the murder and drug convictions, remained a potential obstacle. Thay anticipated the need to file a motion to reopen his immigration case, believing the changed circumstances warranted a review.
ICE,however,acted swiftly,detaining Mr. Vedam and citing the existing order. While the murder conviction has been overturned, the drug conviction remains on his record, and the agency maintains it is acting lawfully. ICE has not responded to requests for comment from the BBC, but has informed other news outlets that Mr. Vedam will remain in custody pending deportation proceedings.
A Weak Connection to India
The family stresses that Mr. Vedam’s ties to India are tenuous at best. He was brought to the United States at just nine months old and has no critically important connections to the country of his birth. Any remaining relatives are distant,and his life – his community,including his sister,her four daughters,and other cousins – is firmly rooted in the U.S. and Canada.
“He will again be robbed and miss out on the lives of the peopel closest to him, by being half way across the world,” Ms. Vedam lamented. “It’s almost like having his life stolen twice.”
Mr. Vedam was a legal permanent resident with a pending citizenship request at the time of his arrest, and both of his parents were U.S. citizens. His lawyer, Ava Benach, stated, “We believe deportation from the United States now, to send him to a country where he has few connections, would represent another terrible wrong done to a man who has already endured a record-setting injustice.”
The family is hopeful that Mr. Vedam’s decades of good behavior, completion of three degrees while incarcerated, and community service will be considered by the immigration court. The fight to keep him in the country he calls home continues, as his family seeks to finally secure the freedom he has deserved for so long.
