Canadian who died in ICE custody reported health issues weeks earlier, agency says

The Canadian who died while in custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had several health concerns in the weeks leading up to his death, according to a report published on Wednesday.

The report comes exactly a month after Johnny Noviello, 49, was found unresponsive at a federal detention centre in Miami.

The day after Noviello was taken into ICE custody, he was diagnosed with a seizure disorder and hypertension. He was prescribed anticonvulsant and blood pressure medications, according to the report.

Noviello had been in the U.S. since 1988 and became a lawful permanent resident in 1991.

The Canadian citizen was convicted of a number of offences in 2023 — including racketeering and drug trafficking — and had been sentenced to 12 months in prison, according to an ICE release.

He was arrested by ICE at a Florida probation office on May 15. Noviello's lawyer maintains he had not violated the terms of his probation.

Noviello was being detained "pending removal proceedings," the agency said in a news release.

On June 8, a medical provider requested a mental health referral for Noviello after he reported "feeling sad and depressed" and refused to go to a medical clinic for an evaluation.

The next day, according to the ICE report, he said to staff that he had not eaten in "a while."

"A provider evaluated Mr. Noviello by request of a [behavioural health provider] BHP, and documented Mr. Noviello maintained poor personal hygiene," the report says, noting that a provider discussed with him the "importance of self-hygiene and proper diet."

In the afternoon on June 23, prison staff found Noviello unresponsive without a pulse and with low body temperature and blood sugar levels.

The Miami Fire Rescue Department took over his care and attempted to revive him for half an hour, before pronouncing him dead.

The cause of Noviello's death is unknown and is under investigation.