Canada demands answers after a citizen dies in ICE custody
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The Canadian government is demanding answers from the U.S. following the death of a Canadian citizen in immigration custody.
The big picture: The relationship between Canada and the U.S. has crumbled during President Trump's second term as he's sought to annex America's neighbor and started a trade war with a vital economic partner.
- Johnny Noviello, 49, died on Monday while in custody in Miami pending removal proceedings, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said on Wednesday. He had been in the U.S. for nearly 40 years.
- Seven other detainees have died in ICE custody in 2025.
Driving the news: "Today, the Government of Canada was notified of the death of a Canadian citizen while in custody in the United States," Anita Anand, Canada's minister of foreign affairs, said Thursday on X.
- "Canadian consular officials are urgently seeking more information from US officials. I offer my sincere condolences to the family."
Zoom out: Noviello entered the U.S. in 1988 on a legal visa and became a lawful permanent resident in 1991, per ICE.
- In 2023, he was convicted in Volusia County, Florida, and sentenced to 12 months in prison for racketeering, trafficking oxycodone and hydrocodone, and using a two-way communication device for a crime.
- This year, he was arrested by ICE at the Florida Department of Corrections Probation Office and was being processed for deportation because of his criminal conviction.
The latest: The cause of Noviello's death was under investigation as of Friday, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
- He was found unresponsive. Medical staff administered CPR and automated external defibrillator shock.
- "Global Affairs Canada is aware of the death of a Canadian citizen in Florida," the office said in a Friday statement. "Consular officials are in contact with U.S. authorities to gather information. Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed."
Go deeper: ICE's cash crisis deepens amid immigration crackdown
Editor's note: This story has been updated with comment from DHS and Global Affairs Canada.
