Journalism of Courage
Two separate US courts have ordered the immigration officials to halt the deportation of Indian-origin man from Pennsylvania, Subramanyam ‘Subu’ Vedam. Vedam spent over four decades in prison on a murder charge that was recently overturned, news agency Associated Press reported.
An immigration judge stayed his deportation, pending a review by the Bureau of Immigration Appeals whether to review Vedam’s case, which could take several months. On Thursday, Vedam’s legal team also approached US District Court in Pennsylvania which also stayed his deportation but said that case may be on hold given the immigration court ruling.
Subramanyam Vedam, known by his relatives as ‘Subu’, came to the United States with his parents when he was nine months old and according to his lawyer, he is a legal permanent resident and his citizenship application was accepted prior to his arrest in 1982, AP reported. Vedam grew up in state college, where his father taught at Pennsylvania State University.
Subu had been serving a life sentence in a murder case of his friend’s death in 1980 before his conviction was overturned this year. He was released from prison on October 3, after spending more than 43 years in prison, but was immediately taken into immigration custody by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement has sought to deport Vedam as he didn’t contest a plea to charges of LSD delivery, when he was 20 years old. His lawyers have argued that while Subu wrongfully spent over 40 years in jail, he earned degrees and taught fellow jail inmates which outweigh the drug charges.
However, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson on Monday said that overturning a murder verdict doesn’t negate the drug conviction charges. “Having a single conviction vacated will not stop ICE’s enforcement of the federal immigration law,” Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs said, AP reported.
(with inputs from Associated Press)
