He served over 40 years in prison until his case was dropped. Then, ICE detained him.
Murder charges against Subramanyam Vedam were dropped after he served decades in the State Correctional Institution at Huntingdon.
After spending over 40 years of a life sentence in the State Correctional Institution at Huntingdon for first-degree murder, Subramanyam “Subu” Vedam was set to be released, corrections officials confirmed. Instead, he ended up in Pennsylvania’s largest immigrant detention center.
Charges were dismissed on Thursday related to new evidence that surfaced in a case that dates back to the 1980s, when Vedam, then a student at Pennsylvania State University, was arrested and later charged with killing Thomas Kinser of Boalsburg, Pa.
But upon his release, “due to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer issued in 1988,” Vedam was transferred into ICE custody, according to a statement from Pennsylvania’s Department of Corrections.
“We are disappointed that Subu has been taken into ICE custody,” said Vedam’s sister, Saraswathi Vedam, in a statement shared via email with the Inquirer by a spokesperson for his legal team. “This immigration matter is a remnant of Subu’s original murder conviction which has now been overturned.”
Around 1:30 p.m. on Friday, while still in the prison in Huntingdon, instead of going free, Vedam was turned over to ICE, according to Mike Truppa, a spokesperson for Vedam’s legal team.
As of Saturday afternoon, he was being detained at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County, according to Truppa.
» READ MORE: Inside Pa.’s largest immigrant detention center: Violence, desperation, little oversight
ICE issued a written statement in response to questions late Saturday.
“Mr. Vedam is a native and citizen of India subject to a final order of removal that was lawfully issued by a federal immigration judge,” said ICE spokesperson Jason Koontz. “Pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act, individuals who have exhausted all avenues of immigration relief and possess standing removal orders are priorities for enforcement.”
In August, Vedam’s case was overturned, according to court documents. The Centre Daily Times reported at the time that this decision came after a finding that Vedam’s due process rights were violated. This week, the state decided to dismiss the case against Vedam, court documents indicate.
“Since that wrongful conviction has been officially vacated, and the charges against Subu have been dismissed, we have asked the immigration court to re-open the case and account for the fact that Subu has been exonerated,” Vedam’s sister said in a statement.
Moshannon Valley Processing Center, a remote holding facility run by the private prisons giant GEO Group, has become a recent flashpoint in President Donald Trump’s push to deport a record number of people.
With capacity for nearly 1,900 prisoners, it is the largest detention center in the Northeast. Most people ICE picks up from New York to Maryland pass through the facility.
It’s part of a growing network of immigrant holding facilities that house more than 61,000 people nationwide. The facilities include federal detention centers and county jails, as well as the infamous complex in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
According to ICE data, only about 20% of people booked into Moshannon this year have been convicted of serious crimes. Roughly 60% had either pending cases or no criminal convictions at all.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was deported to El Salvador and returned to the United States. over the summer, was transferred to Moshannon on Sept. 26. The Trump administration has claimed that Abrego Garcia, who was born in El Salvador, is a member of the MS-13 gang.
On Friday, a Nashville judge found that there was a “likelihood” that the charges against Abrego Garcia were vindictive in nature.
Since taking office, Trump has called on ICE to do all in its power to deliver “the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History.” His administration has sought to revoke the citizenship of immigrants who commit crimes and is working to end birthright citizenship for children born to those without legal status or who are in the country temporarily.
A September survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that Americans were more likely than they were in March 2024 say immigrants who come to the U.S. legally provide a “major benefit” and contribute to economic growth. The survey also found Americans were less likely than they were in January to say that the U.S. should reduce the number of legal immigrants.