Overview

• Vedam was released on October 3 from Pennsylvania’s Huntingdon prison after Judge Jonathan Grine vacated his murder conviction, and District Attorney Bernie Cantorna later dismissed all charges.
• ICE immediately detained him at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, citing a decades-old removal order tied to a teenage guilty plea for intent to distribute LSD.
• The Pennsylvania Innocence Project uncovered an FBI report suggesting the bullet wound was too small for the alleged .25-caliber weapon, a key factor in the court’s due-process ruling.
• ICE said individuals with standing removal orders are enforcement priorities and described Vedam as a convicted controlled substance trafficker in a statement to the Miami Herald.
• Attorney Ava Benach says Vedam was brought to the United States at nine months old and argues his rehabilitation and deep U.S. ties support reopening the immigration case and granting a stay.