From Prison to Potential Deportation: The Story of Subramanyam Vedam

Mon Oct 20 2025 05:22:23 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Subramanyam Vedam, wrongfully imprisoned for over four decades, faces the risk of deportation to India despite being exonerated for a murder he did not commit. His family advocates for his release amidst legal battles with ICE.

After 43 years in prison for a wrongful conviction, Subramanyam 'Subu' Vedam was exonerated this month but faces deportation to India by ICE. His family claims he has no substantial ties to the country and is fighting to keep him in the U.S. following his unjust imprisonment.

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 US 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, describes the situation as drastically different: her brother has gone from a familiar prison environment where he mentored fellow inmates to a facility where he shares a room with 60 men, and his history of good behavior is unrecognized.

Subramanyam Vedam is determined to focus on what he regards as a victory: I want us to focus on the win, he told his family. My name has been cleared, I'm no longer a prisoner, I'm a detainee.

More than 40 years ago, Mr. Vedam was convicted of murdering his roommate Tom Kinser, whose body was found with a bullet wound in the skull. Despite no physical evidence linking him to the crime and maintaining his innocence, Mr. Vedam was sentenced to life in prison. He was recently exonerated after new evidence emerged that prompted the prosecution to drop the case, yet an old deportation order from 1988 still looms, grounded in his prior convictions.

His family contends that deportation destabilizes any chance of a life pointing forward. They emphasize that the ties Mr. Vedam has to India are weak; he moved to the U.S. at nine months old and has family connections in the U.S. and Canada. According to his lawyer, Ava Benach, deporting him to a country he barely remembers represents another grave injustice against a man who has endured unprecedented suffering.

Despite ICE's claims about the legitimacy of the deportation order, the Vedam family is adamant that his long history of good behavior and contributions to the prison community should factor into the immigration court's considerations. Saraswathi Vedam expressed deep disappointment over not having had even a moment to celebrate his release before his unexpected detention, stating, We believe deportation from the United States now, to send him to a country where he has few connections, would represent another terrible wrong.