Overview
- ICE says it arrested Sri Lankan national Sumith Gunasekera in Detroit on Nov. 12, and he remains in custody pending immigration proceedings.
- Ferris State University placed the associate professor on administrative leave while it gathers information, according to a university statement.
- ICE describes him as an undocumented immigrant who entered the U.S. in 1998, later returned on a student visa, and was flagged during a USCIS process years later.
- According to ICE, an Ontario court in 1998 convicted him of sexual interference with a minor and uttering a threat, imposing a month in jail and a year of probation, with later arrests in Las Vegas leading to a 2004 disorderly conduct conviction and fines.
- DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin publicly condemned him and praised ICE, with coverage noting the case aligns with recent large-scale enforcement operations that have also involved educators.