U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested a Sri Lankan national in Detroit on November 12, and federal officials publicly released the details of the case on November 25. The man, identified as Sumith Gunasekera, had been working as an associate professor at Ferris State University despite a long and disturbing history of sex crimes in both Canada and the United States.
According to ICE, Gunasekera’s background includes multiple sex-related convictions and a decades-long pattern of manipulating immigration loopholes to remain in the country. Despite serious crimes involving minors and arrests spanning more than two decades, he managed to secure a teaching position on a Michigan college campus with access to students.
Gunasekera’s criminal history includes:
- On August 28, 1998, Gunasekera was arrested by the Peel Regional Police in Brampton, Ontario for uttering death threats. He was arrested again just three days later for invitation to sexual touching and sexual interference. Gunasekera admitted to officers that this charge was related to a minor.
- On November 12, 1998, a criminal court in Brampton, Ontario convicted Gunasekera for utter threat to cause death or bodily harm and sexual interference and sentenced him to 1 month of incarceration and 1 year of probation.
- On September 25, 2003, the Metropolitan Police Department in Las Vegas arrested Gunasekera for open and gross lewdness.
- On January 16, 2004, the Las Vegas Justice Court convicted Gunasekera of disorderly conduct and sentenced him to fines.
Federal officials say Gunasekera first entered the United States in February 1998 on a student visa, left for Canada and returned later that same year. When he applied for a change of status with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in 2012, investigators uncovered his Canadian convictions that made him ineligible for legal status. For years he continued appealing, reapplying and working around the system while living in the U.S.
During processing following his November 12 arrest, ICE officers say Gunasekera confirmed he was employed as an associate professor at Ferris State University in Big Rapids. The revelation sparked immediate outrage. Federal officials argue that an individual with his criminal history should never have been granted access to any academic environment, let alone a college campus.
“It’s sickening that a sex offender was working as a professor on an American college campus and was given access to vulnerable students to potentially victimize them,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Thanks to the brave ICE law enforcement officers, this sicko is behind bars and no longer able to prey on Americans. His days of exploiting the immigration system are OVER. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, criminals are not welcome in the U.S.”
Gunasekera remains in ICE custody pending further immigration proceedings. Officials say the case highlights the ongoing need for serious enforcement to prevent dangerous individuals from slipping into positions of trust within American institutions.
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