A man who was wrongfully imprisoned for over four decades has been taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) right after his release.
Subramanyam ‘Subu’ Vedam was exonerated earlier this month after spending 43 years in prison. Shortly after being freed, ICE officials detained him.
Now, they intend to deport 64-year-old Vedam to India, a country he hasn’t visited since he was an infant.
Vedam’s conviction for a 1980 murder was overturned when new evidence confirmed his innocence, a battle his family had fought for over forty years.
His conviction was officially overturned on October 2, and he was released the next day, only to be taken into ICE custody.
Reports indicate Vedam is being held in a facility with about 60 other detainees.
Jason Koontz, a spokesperson for ICE, stated: “Vedam is a career criminal with a rap sheet dating back to 1980. He will be held in ICE custody while the agency arranges for his removal in accordance with all applicable laws and due-process requirements.”
However, Koontz did not respond to inquiries about Vedam’s current conditions, his ability to communicate with his family or lawyer, or whether he is receiving adequate food and shelter.
Vedam managed to send brief messages to his family, stating: “My name has been cleared, I’m no longer a prisoner, I’m a detainee.”
Although born in India, Vedam was raised in State College, Pennsylvania, and has spent most of his life in the United States. His niece, Zoë Miller-Vedam, humorously told USA Today: “We tease him that he has more of a Philadelphia accent than anything else, because that’s the only way he’s ever spoken.”
In 1983, Vedam was wrongfully convicted for the murder of his childhood friend Thomas Kinser, based on weak and coerced evidence.
After multiple appeals and retrials over the years, prosecutors finally dropped the case this year.
However, due to a 1988 deportation order issued during his second trial, ICE intervened immediately after his release.
“We didn’t even have a moment to hold him in our arms,” his sister Saraswathi Vedam told the BBC. “He was held wrongly, and one would think that he conducted himself with such honor and purpose and integrity that that should mean something.”