Mich. professor arrested by ICE fired for misconduct

Sarah Atwood, The Detroit News on Dec 31, 2025

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DENVER — A Ferris State University marketing professor arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers last month was fired, the university confirmed Tuesday.

The university declined to expand on the firing of the former professor, Sumith Gunasekera.

Dave Murray, associate vice president for marketing and communications at Ferris State, said in an email to The Detroit News that it would be "inappropriate" to comment further on the personnel matter.

MLive reported Tuesday that Gunasekera was fired for misconduct on Dec. 11. Documents from his personnel file show his firing followed a hearing, which Gunasekera did not attend, to determine if he violated university policy by providing false or misleading information on his employment application and about his leave of absence, according to MLive.

The Big Rapids-based university has not responded to The Detroit News' request for the personnel file.

Gunasekera was arrested by ICE officers on Nov. 12 in Detroit, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a Nov. 25 press release.

"Ferris State University leaders on (Nov. 25) became aware of accusations regarding professor Sumith Gunasekera," Murray told The News last month. "He has been placed on administrative leave while the university gathers more information."

Federal authorities said in the release that Gunasekera entered the United States in February 1998, then went to Canada. In August 1998, he was arrested by police in Brampton, Ontario, and accused of making death threats.

Three days later, he was arrested again in Canada on charges of invitation to sexual touching and sexual interference. The Department of Homeland Security said Gunasekera admitted to officers that this case involved a minor. He was convicted in November 1998 and sentenced to one month behind bars and one year of probation.

He was also arrested in September 2003 by law enforcement in Las Vegas and accused of open and gross lewdness, the Department of Homeland Security said. He was convicted in January 2004 of disorderly conduct.

Gunasekera holds a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka and a Ph.D. in statistics from the University of Nevada.