Man Fights Deportation After Decades in Prison

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Subramanyam Vedam, a 64-year-old man from State College, Pennsylvania, testified in a federal immigration hearing yesterday to contest his deportation to India, where he was born. Vedam was released in 2025 after serving 43 years in prison for a murder conviction that was later overturned. The deportation order stems from a 1999 plea to selling LSD when Vedam was 19 years old. A federal immigration judge is expected to rule today on Vedam's request for protection from deportation.

Why it matters

Vedam's case highlights the complex legal and humanitarian issues surrounding deportation orders for individuals with criminal histories, especially those who have already served lengthy prison sentences for overturned convictions. His testimony aims to demonstrate that he should be granted protection from deportation due to the circumstances of his past convictions and the time he has already spent incarcerated.

The details

In 1980, Vedam was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. After serving 43 years, his conviction was overturned in 2025 and he was released. However, Vedam now faces deportation to India based on a 1999 no-contest plea to selling LSD when he was 19 years old. Yesterday's immigration hearing focused on Vedam's criminal history from his teenage years.

• Vedam was convicted of murder in 1980 and sentenced to life in prison.
• Vedam's murder conviction was overturned in 2025, and he was released from prison.
• Vedam has been detained at the Moshannon Valley ICE Processing Center near Philipsburg, Pennsylvania since his release from state prison in October 2025.
• Vedam testified in a federal immigration hearing yesterday to contest his deportation order.

What’s next

A federal immigration judge is expected to rule today on Vedam's request for protection from deportation.