A respected university professor’s career collapsed overnight after U.S. immigration officers detained him in Detroit, branding him a sex offender with a hidden criminal past that stretched back decades.
U.S. immigration authorities have detained a Sri Lankan born professor working at a Michigan university after revealing a criminal history involving death threats and a conviction linked to a juvenile. The arrest of Sumith Gunasekera, an assistant professor of marketing at Ferris State University, has sent shockwaves through both academic and immigrant communities.
According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Gunasekera was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Detroit on November 12. Federal officials confirmed that he entered the United States in February 1998 before traveling to Canada later that year. In August 1998, he was arrested in Brampton, Ontario, on allegations of making death threats. Just three days later, he was arrested again on charges of invitation to sexual touching and sexual interference. DHS stated that Gunasekera admitted to officers that the case involved a minor. He was convicted in November 1998 and sentenced to one month in jail and one year of probation.
Authorities also disclosed that Gunasekera was arrested again in September 2003 in Las Vegas on accusations of open and gross lewdness. He was later convicted in January 2004 of disorderly conduct.
Gunasekera currently serves as a faculty member at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan. According to the university website, he holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Colombo and a Ph.D. in statistics from the University of Nevada. In a statement, university officials said, “Ferris State University leaders on Tuesday became aware of accusations regarding professor Sumith Gunasekera. He has been placed on administrative leave while the university gathers more information. This is a personnel issue and it would be inappropriate for the university to further discuss the matter.”
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, “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. Thanks to the brave ICE law enforcement officers, this sicko is behind bars and no longer able to prey on Americans.”
Officials confirmed that Gunasekera had been living in the U.S. on a student visa. When he later applied for a change of immigration status, authorities uncovered his criminal convictions in Canada. “Over the years Gunasekera repeatedly attempted to manipulate our immigration system between applications, denials, and appeals despite the convictions in Canada that made him ineligible for legal status in the United States,” DHS stated.
Gunasekera remains in ICE custody as immigration proceedings move forward.
