Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed this week that Johnny Noviello, a 49-year-old Canadian citizen, was found unresponsive at a detention centre in Florida on Monday. The agency said medical staff rendered aid and transported him to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. An official cause of death has not yet been determined; an internal review and an independent medical examination are under way.
Long-time U.S. resident: Although Noviello held Canadian citizenship, he entered the United States in 1988 and gained lawful permanent-resident status three years later, according to ICE.
Recent convictions: Court records show that in 2023 he was sentenced to 12 months in prison after pleading guilty to racketeering and drug-trafficking charges.
ICE officers took Noviello into custody in May 2025 after he completed his prison term. He was being held “pending removal proceedings,” the agency’s news release stated, meaning deportation hearings were still in progress at the time of his death. Global Affairs Canada said it is seeking additional details.
Noviello’s death occurs amid a wider surge in immigration enforcement:
Higher arrest targets: White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller has instructed ICE to increase daily apprehensions to roughly 3,000, up sharply from the 650-per-day average during the first months of President Trump’s second term.
Executive-order crackdown: A series of new directives signed earlier this year aims to accelerate removals and expand detention capacity, with the president urging ICE to carry out “the largest mass-deportation program in U.S. history.”
Civil-rights groups have called for greater oversight of detention conditions, noting that several in-custody deaths have been reported nationwide since the enhanced enforcement campaign began.
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