Man Wrongfully Imprisoned 43 Years Detained by ICE Immediately After Release

Subramanyam Vedam, a man wrongfully imprisoned for 43 years in Pennsylvania for a murder he did not commit, was immediately detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) upon his release and now faces deportation to India, a country he has not lived in since infancy. His case has sparked renewed scrutiny of both wrongful convictions and immigration enforcement policies .

Background and Wrongful Conviction

Vedam was convicted in 1983 for the 1980 murder of his former roommate, 19-year-old student Tom Kinser, based on circumstantial evidence without physical proof linking him to the crime. Despite consistently maintaining his innocence, Vedam was sentenced to life without parole and spent over four decades in prison. Evidence surfaced in 2022 proving prosecutorial misconduct in concealing exculpatory documents, which paved the way for his exoneration in October 2025 and vacating of his murder conviction by the Centre County District Attorney .

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Immediate Detention and Deportation Threat

On the day of his release, October 3, 2025, Vedam was taken into ICE custody due to an outstanding deportation order issued in 1988 related to a prior non-violent drug conviction. ICE insists Vedam is a “career criminal” based on his criminal history dating back to 1980 and plans to detain him until he can be deported to India, despite the fact he moved to the U.S. as an infant and has no close family ties in India. Vedam is a legal permanent resident, with his citizenship application pending before his wrongful incarceration .

Family and Supporters’ Response

Vedam’s family, including his sister and niece residing in the U.S., are fighting the deportation order. They emphasize the injustice of detaining a man exonerated for a wrongful murder conviction and call for compassion and recognition of his integrity and resilience. They express heartbreak that he was taken from them again before they could reunite properly