A Canadian man, identified as Johnny Noviello, age 49, has died while being detained at the Bureau of Prisons Federal Detention Center in Miami, as confirmed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement press release. Found unresponsive on Monday afternoon, Noviello's demise is currently subject to an investigation into the cause of death. As reported by NBC Miami, he was pronounced deceased after emergency medical procedures failed to revive him.
Previously convicted of drug trafficking among other charges, Noviello was sentenced last year to a year in prison. Facing removal from the United States, he succumbed to an unresponsive state, being administered immediate medical attention, which included CPR and defibrillator shocks, according to details from a press release quoted by National Post. Miami Fire Rescue Department declared him dead just after 1:30 p.m. on Monday.
Entering the United States legally in 1988 and later becoming a lawful permanent resident in 1991, Noviello's subsequent conviction led to his detainment by ICE agents at a Florida probation office last month, where he was charged with removability on the grounds of his drug conviction, as noted by U.S. authorities and detailed by U.S. News & World Report. This year has seen the death of seven other immigration detainees in federal custody, with the previous year recording 11 such deaths.
Consular officials from Global Affairs Canada have been made aware of Noviello's death and are in contact with U.S. authorities. Nevertheless, due to privacy considerations, no further information is currently disclosed, as a spokesperson told the Post. "Noncitizens with lawful status may become removable for many reasons, such as immigration fraud, certain criminal convictions, national security, or false claims to U.S. citizenship," according to information provided by the American Immigration Council and shared by the National Post.
Further adding to the narrative, a 2017 article from The Daytona Beach News-Journal connected a man with the same name as Noviello to charges with the sale or delivery of oxycodone, conspiracy to sell or deliver methadone, conspiracy to traffic hydromorphone and unlawful use of a two-way communication device. Additionally, ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations have informed the Consulate of Canada by telephone of Noviello's death. This information emerges within a fraught and ongoing dialogue about the conditions and treatment of immigration detainees in the United States.
