Subramanyam Vedam Faces Deportation After 40-Year Imprisonment

Mon Oct 20 2025 19:24:03 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

After being wrongfully imprisoned for over four decades, Subramanyam 'Subu' Vedam is confronted with the looming threat of deportation to India, a country he left as an infant.

Subramanyam 'Subu' Vedam has recently been exonerated after serving 43 years for a murder he did not commit. However, before he could reunite with his family, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained him, citing a historical deportation order. Vedam's family is now fighting for his release as he faces the possibility of being sent to India despite having no connections there.

After serving 43 years in prison for a murder he did not commit, Subramanyam 'Subu' Vedam was finally free. New evidence had exonerated him earlier this month of the murder of his former roommate. But before he could reach his family's arms, Mr. Vedam was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who want to deport him to India - a country he has not lived in since he was a baby.

Now, Mr. Vedam's legal team is fighting a deportation order, and his family is determined to get him out of custody for good. His sister Saraswathi Vedam described their situation as a new and a 'very different' challenge, moving from the familiarity of prison to a facility where he shares a room with 60 other detainees.

Mr. Vedam's case depicts a troubling narrative that began over 40 years ago when he was convicted of murdering his college roommate Tom Kinser. Kinser's body was discovered months after his disappearance, and though Mr. Vedam was initially accused of the crime, there was no physical evidence to substantiate the claims against him.

Throughout his years in prison, Mr. Vedam maintained his innocence, and after his exoneration, his family faced another uphill battle against the existing deportation order from 1988, based on his previous convictions.

Despite entering a plea deal for a separate drug offense, which remains on record, Mr. Vedam’s family emphasizes that he transformed himself during his imprisonment, mentoring other inmates and completing several degrees. They argue that his conduct should influence the immigration court's decision on his case.

With ties to India being tenuous at best, Mr. Vedam’s family fears that sending him back to a country where he has no real connection or familiarity constitutes yet another injustice. His lawyer Ava Benach has expressed deep concerns about the implications of deportation for Vedam, highlighting it as a continuation of a history marked by wrongful conviction and harsh penalties.

As the family fights for his release, they cling to hope that Vedam will soon be reunited with them in the United States, the place he has called home for most of his life.