ICE detained exonerated legal permanent resident Subramanyam Vedam on his prison release, pursuing deportation under a vacated murder conviction

On October 3, 2025, the day a Centre County, Pennsylvania judge vacated Subramanyam "Subu" Vedam's 1982 murder conviction — overturned after 43 years because prosecutors had withheld ballistics evidence — and prosecutors declined to retry him, ICE agents took Vedam into federal immigration custody. ICE relied on a decades-old deportation order whose sole stated predicate was the now-vacated murder conviction. Vedam, a legal permanent resident who came to the United States from India as a nine-month-old in 1962, was transferred to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. He had been days from becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen when he was first arrested for the murder in 1982.

DHS continued to pursue deportation for months after the exoneration, with a department spokesperson stating that "having a single conviction vacated will not stop ICE's enforcement of the federal immigration laws." DHS lawyers separately argued that two prior drug distribution convictions — not mentioned as the basis for the original detention — could independently support deportation. An immigration judge denied Vedam's bond request in February 2026, a ruling Vedam's attorneys characterized as containing errors of fact and law and said they would appeal.

Updates

2026-02-10 — Immigration judge vacated the decades-old deportation order and reopened Vedam's immigration case [4, 5]

An immigration judge vacated the deportation order ICE had relied on to justify Vedam's detention, ruling it was no longer valid given the overturned murder conviction and prosecutorial misconduct findings. The ruling restored Vedam's permanent residency status, set up a new immigration hearing, and blocked deportation attempts in the interim. The case was transferred to another immigration judge for continued review. DHS indicated it would pursue deportation on the basis of prior drug distribution convictions not mentioned in the original deportation order.

2026-04-02 — Immigration judge ruled Vedam proved rehabilitation and cleared the way for potential release [1]

On April 2, 2026, U.S. Immigration Judge Adam Panopoulos ruled that Subramanyam Vedam had proved he was genuinely rehabilitated and posed no danger to the public, citing his prison literacy programs and close family ties. The judge said Vedam "has grown as a person" and "began to dedicate himself to enriching other people's lives." The ruling cleared the way for Vedam's potential release on bond, though DHS retained the right to appeal. DHS indicated it would continue pursuing deportation on the basis of the separate drug convictions.

2026-04-16 — DHS appealed Vedam's release from ICE custody, keeping him detained [6]

The Department of Homeland Security appealed Judge Adam Panopoulos's April 2 ruling granting Vedam relief from deportation, filing with the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals. The appeal kept Vedam detained at Moshannon Valley Processing Center while the BIA reviewed the case. Vedam's family called the appeal "deeply disappointing" and "callous." A DHS spokesperson described Vedam as a "criminal illegal alien" and said having his murder conviction overturned would not stop ICE enforcement of federal immigration law.

2026-05-27 — Federal judge dismissed Vedam's habeas petition, citing Laken Riley Act and lack of jurisdiction [7, 8]

U.S. District Judge William Stickman dismissed Vedam's petition for release from ICE custody, ruling that the Laken Riley Act mandates DHS detain individuals who are removable and have committed certain crimes and that the court lacked jurisdiction to review the immigration court's detention rulings. The judge wrote: "The Laken Riley Act does not limit how long a person can be detained during removal proceedings." Vedam remained detained at Moshannon Valley Processing Center while his case proceeded before the Board of Immigration Appeals.