MIAMI, Fla. – A Canadian citizen in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) died earlier this week, prompting an investigation, according to ICE officials.
In a release, ICE officials said that the man — identified as Johnny Noviello, 49 — had entered the country in 1988 with a visa, and he became a lawful permanent resident just a few years later.
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But in 2023, Noviello was convicted in Volusia County for racketeering, drug trafficking, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device in the commission of a crime, the release states. As a result, Noviello was sentenced to a year in prison.
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On May 15, 2025, Noviello was arrested by ICE, given a notice to appear, and charged with removability due to his drug convictions as a “non-immigrant overstay.”
However, he was pronounced dead by first responders at a detention center in Miami on Monday afternoon, ICE reported. His cause of death is still under investigation.
So far in 2025, ICE has reported seven deaths within the agency’s custody. Per these ICE reports, they are as follows:
- Jan. 23 — Genry Ruiz Guillen
- Reason for being in custody: Illegally entered the U.S. near Eagle Pass, Texas, in 2023 after coming from Honduras. He was also arrested in Florida in 2024 on a charge of domestic violence.
- Manner of death: Around a month after being diagnosed with several health conditions, such as organic catatonic disorder and rhabdomyolysis, Guillen suffered major breathing difficulties and was declared dead.
- Jan. 29 — Serawit Gezahegn Dejene
- Reason for being in custody: Arrested by Border Patrol in 2024 in Arizona after illegally immigrating to the country from Ethiopia.
- Manner of death: Dejene had been diagnosed with pneumonia, acute respiratory distress, and sepsis, and tuberculosis, among several other ailments. He was placed on a ventilator earlier in the month, though his next of kin eventually requested that he be taken off life support.
- Feb. 20 — Maksym Chernyak
- Reason for being in custody: In 2024, a sponsor filed an application for Chernyak, who sought to immigrate from Ukraine. However, he was arrested in Ft. Lauderdale in January on a charge of battery with bodily harm.
- Manner of death: Following a “seizure-like activity” just a couple of days prior, Chernyak’s neurological condition worsened, and his blood pressure became unstable. He was ultimately pronounced dead.
- April 8 — Brayan Rayo-Garzon
- Reason for being in custody: In 2023, Rayo-Garzon was arrested by Border Patrol in California after illegally immigrating to the U.S. from Colombia. After failing to show up to an immigration hearing in 2024, he was found and detained in Missouri.
- Manner of death: After being found unresponsive in his cell with a blanket wrapped around his neck, he was put on life support, though he exhibited no brain activity. He was later declared officially dead.
- April 16 — Nhon Ngoc Nguyen
- Reason for being in custody: Nguyen originally came to the U.S. in 1983 from Vietnam as a legal permanent resident. But in 1991, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in prison. By 2013, he was ordered to be deported, though Vietnam refused to issue travel documents at that time.
- Manner of death: In the months leading up to his death, Nguyen began to show signs of brain atrophy and progressive dementia. He was provided long-term care, though his condition worsened until he ultimately passed away.
- April 25 — Marie Ange Blaise
- Reason for being in custody: Border Patrol encountered Blaise, a Haitian citizen, in the Virgin Islands while she was trying to board a flight to North Carolina. She was eventually charged with removability and transferred to an ICE facility in Pompano Beach.
- Manner of death: Shortly after the initial encounter, Blaise was taken to the hospital for high blood pressure, though she continually failed to take her prescribed medications. On the night of April 25, she was found unresponsive in her dorm, and she was later declared dead.
- May 5 — Abelardo Avelleneda-Delgado
- Reason for being in custody: Avelleneda-Delgado had been arrested several times between 2005 and 2021 after already being deported back to Mexico. In April 2025, he was arrested again over a probation violation, leading to ICE taking him into custody.
- Manner of death: While being transported between detention centers, Avelleneda-Delgado became unresponsive, and he was ultimately pronounced dead.