US courts block deportation of Indian-origin man who was wrongfully jailed for 43 years

Two US courts have blocked the deportation of 64-year-old Indian-origin man Subramanyam “Subu” Vedam, who spent over four decades in prison for a murder that was later overturned.

Vedam, detained at a Louisiana centre with its own deportation airstrip, was ordered to remain in the US until his case is reviewed, news agency AP reported.

Courts stay deportation

Last week, an immigration judge halted his deportation until the Board of Immigration Appeals decides whether to reopen his case — a process that could take months.

On the same day, a Pennsylvania district court also stayed his removal.

Conviction overturned after 40 years

Vedam moved legally from India to the US as a baby and grew up in Pennsylvania, where his father taught at Penn State.

He was convicted of killing his friend Thomas Kinser in 1980 and sentenced to life, but his conviction was overturned earlier this year. Though freed from prison on October 3, he was immediately taken into immigration custody.

ICE cites decades-old drug charge

ICE now seeks to deport him over a no-contest plea to LSD delivery charges filed when he was about 20. His lawyers argue that his wrongful imprisonment — during which he earned degrees and mentored inmates — should outweigh the old offence.

ICE spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told AP, “Having a single conviction vacated will not stop ICE’s enforcement of federal immigration law.”

Family welcomes court relief

Vedam’s sister, Saraswathi Vedam, welcomed the court orders, saying, “We’re relieved that two different judges have agreed that Subu’s deportation is unwarranted while his effort to reopen his immigration case is still pending. We’re hopeful that the Board of Immigration Appeals will agree that deporting him would be another untenable injustice.”