DETROIT — A professor at Ferris State University was arrested in Detroit on Tuesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, the agency said.
Sumith Gunasekera was living in the U.S. illegally, according to ICE. He also was convicted of sex crimes in Canada and Nevada, per a release by the agency.
In 1998, Gunasekera was arrested twice over a three day period: first for allegedly uttering death threats on August 28, 1998; then again on August 31 for allegedly inviting a minor to sexual touching. He was convicted of both charges that November and spent 1 month behind bars, according to ICE.
Then in 2003, police in Las Vegas arrested Gunasekera for gross lewdness. A judge convicted him on a count of disorderly conduct.
According to federal investigators, Gunasekera first entered the U.S. in February 1998, left for Canada, then returned later that year on a student visa. In 2012, he was flagged by ICE for the 1998 convictions in Canada when Gunasekera applied for a change in status in the U.S. Those criminal convictions would make him ineligible for legal status in the U.S.
Gunasekera allegedly manipulated the immigration system in the years since to avoid deportation through new applications and appeals, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
“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.”
In a statement to FOX 17, a Ferris State University spokesperson said the school put Gunasekera on administrative leave once it became aware of the accusations against the professor.
Gunasekera is in federal custody awaiting legal hearings.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
