"Amid the Trump Administration's focus on mass deportations, Vedam's lawyers must persuade an immigration court that a 1980s drug conviction should be outweighed by the years he wrongly spent in prison. For a time, immigration law allowed people who had reformed their lives to seek such waivers. Vedam never pursued it then because of the murder conviction. "He was someone who's suffered a profound injustice," said immigration lawyer Ava Benach. "(And) those 43 years aren't a blank slate. He lived a remarkable experience in prison."
"Vedam earned several degrees behind bars, tutored hundreds of fellow inmates and went nearly half a century with just a single infraction, involving rice brought in from the outside. His lawyers hope immigration judges will consider the totality of his case. The administration, in a brief filed Friday, opposes the effort. So Vedam remains at an 1,800-bed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in central Pennsylvania."
Subramanyam Vedam spent more than four decades in prison after being twice convicted in a 1980 killing despite no witnesses or motive. A judge overturned his conviction after lawyers found undisclosed ballistics evidence. As he awaited release, federal authorities detained him on a 1999 deportation order, and he now faces immigration proceedings. Vedam came to the United States as an infant from India. He earned degrees in prison, tutored hundreds of inmates, and had one minor infraction. Prosecutors oppose a waiver; Vedam remains in an 1,800‑bed ICE facility while lawyers argue his long incarceration and rehabilitation warrant relief.
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