The arrest of Sumith Gunasekera, a Sri Lankan national and convicted sex offender who was working as a college professor, triggered sharp criticism from Homeland Security officials and renewed concerns about gaps in immigration screening and campus hiring. ICE agents took him into custody in Detroit on Nov. 12, and his past convictions in Canada and the United States emerged as central to the agency’s case. Officials say the arrest highlights repeated attempts to exploit the immigration system and raises questions about how someone with this record gained access to students.
Federal agents arrested Gunasekera while he was employed as a professor of data science and analytics at Ferris State University in Michigan. According to the agency, his employment on a college campus allowed contact with vulnerable populations, which officials called deeply troubling. University officials did not immediately provide comment about how he was hired or whether there were background checks in place.
Department of Homeland (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin did not mince words about the situation, saying, “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,” in a statement. She praised ICE for the arrest and added, “Thanks to the brave ICE law enforcement officers this sicko is behind bars and no longer able to prey on Americans,” McLaughlin continued. “His days of exploiting the immigration system are OVER.”
Gunasekera’s criminal record stretches back to the late 1990s in Ontario, Canada, where police say he was arrested for allegedly uttering death threats and then for sexual touching and sexual interference. ICE reports that he later admitted those charges, which involved a minor, and Canadian courts convicted him, imposing a one-month jail sentence and one year of probation. Those convictions are central to immigration authorities’ claims that he was ineligible for legal status in the United States.
On top of the Canadian convictions, Gunasekera faced trouble in Nevada where Las Vegas police arrested him in September 2003 on charges of open and gross lewdness. A Las Vegas court later convicted him of disorderly conduct in January 2004, according to the agency’s summary of his record. Those cases added to a pattern that agents say should have barred him from work that involved interaction with students.
ICE officials laid out an immigration timeline that shows the subject entered the United States in February 1998, then left for Canada and returned later that year on a student visa. He applied for a change of status with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in 2012, which ultimately triggered a deeper review and discovery of his earlier convictions. The agency says those findings prompted renewed enforcement action and his current detention while immigration proceedings move forward.
An ICE press release stated that Gunasekera “repeatedly attempted to manipulate our immigration system between applications, denials and appeals despite the convictions in Canada that make him ineligible for legal status in the United States.” The agency’s public materials note he remains in custody pending removal or other immigration outcomes. Officials framed the arrest as an example of persistent attempts to remain in the country despite convictions that should have disqualified him from legal status.
This arrest is not an isolated example of undocumented or otherwise unauthorized employees holding sensitive educational posts. Earlier this year ICE arrested a Guyanese national who had been serving as superintendent of a major school district and was earning a six-figure salary while living unlawfully in the United States. At the time of that arrest, agents reportedly found a loaded handgun, a fixed-blade hunting knife, and cash in the individual’s possession, which intensified calls for better vetting by school systems and oversight of contractors who help hire administrative staff.
Law enforcement and conservative officials argue the Gunasekera case proves the need for stronger enforcement and tighter checks on immigration status and criminal history before hiring people in positions with access to children. “Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, criminals are not welcome in the U.S.” is how one official framed the broader policy stance, pointing to a law-and-order approach that prioritizes public safety and removal of dangerous individuals. Local campuses and state education systems will likely face pressure to explain vetting procedures and to make changes that prevent similar situations.
State and federal leaders now face clear choices about whether to demand tougher background checks, more robust immigration verification, or stricter accountability for institutions that employ noncitizens in sensitive roles. The arrest has already become a rallying point for those who want faster deportation processes and harsher enforcement of existing immigration laws, while campus administrators scramble to shore up hiring practices and reassure students and families about safety measures.
