A Canadian citizen in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Florida died while awaiting removal from the U.S., the agency announced Thursday.
Johnny Noviello, 49, was found unresponsive Monday afternoon in Miami’s Bureau of Prisons Federal Detention Center. In a press release, ICE said medical staff “responded immediately and began administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation, automated external defibrillator shock and called 911.“ But Noviello was pronounced dead within the hour.
The cause of death remains under investigation.
Noviello, a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. since Oct. 1991 who first entered the country with a legal visa three years prior, was convicted in 2023 of drug trafficking and racketeering in Volusia County, Florida, according to ICE. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Last month, ICE arrested Noviello at the Florida Department of Corrections Probation office. He was “charged with removability,” ICE said, due to his past conviction.
In its press release, ICE maintained that “comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay.”
“All people in ICE custody receive medical, dental and mental health intake screening within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility, a full health assessment within 14 days of entering ICE custody or arrival at a facility, access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care,” the statement continued. “At no time during detention is a detained illegal alien denied emergent care.”
According to ICE records, at least seven other individuals have died in their custody since Jan. 20, when President Donald Trump was inaugurated.
The Trump administration has also been detaining migrants at Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. military base in Cuba, while sending others to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison.
Additionally, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced this week that the administration will use funds from the gutted Federal Emergency Management Administration to spend on an “alligator Alcatraz” detention center on a remote Everglades airfield.
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