Canadian citizen dies in Florida ICE detention facility amid removal proceedings, officials say

MIAMI, Fla. - Correction: FOX 35 incorrectly reported that the man who died was undocumented. Per ICE, the man became a lawful permanent resident in 1991. In 2023, he was convicted of various crimes, including drug trafficking. In May 2025, he was detained and charged with removability due to the previous conviction. FOX 35 regrets the error.

A Canadian citizen detained at an ICE detention facility in Florida has died, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement revealed this week. The 49-year-old man was being held at the detention facility amid removal proceedings after he was allegedly convicted of various crimes in Volusia County, a news release said. 

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What we know:

ICE said Johnny Noviello, a 49-year-old Canadian citizen who became a legal U.S. resident in 1991, died Monday afternoon while at an ICE detention facility in Miami, Florida. He was found unresponsive shortly before 1 p.m. Medical staff immediately began performing life-saving measures, including CPR and using an AED to shock his heart, a release said.

He was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later by the Miami Fire Rescue Department. 

According to the news release, Noviello entered the U.S. in January 1988 on a legal visa. He became a lawful permanent resident in October 1991. In October 2023 – 32 years later – he was convicted in Volusia County on charges of racketeering, and trafficking in Ocycodone and illegal drugs, ICE said.

In May 2025, he was arrested by ICE at the Florida Department of Corrections Probation Office and charged with removability due to his conviction, ICE said in its news release. Amid those proceedings, he was being held at the Bureau of Prisons Federal Detention Center in South Florida.

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ICE said it has notified the Consulate of Canada of Noviello's death.