Approximately 55 Canadians have been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand told CTV News Friday.
“Our work is to ensure that they’re being treated fairly, and that’s the advocacy that consular officials from Global Affairs Canada do every day, not only in the United States, but around the world,” said Anand.
ICE operations have been under increased public scrutiny since Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, said ICE officers would target at least 3,000 arrests a day, up from about 650 a day during the first five months of Trump’s second term. ICE operations have sparked protests across the U.S., leading to arrests and curfews.
During her interview with CTV News, Anand responded to questions about the Canadian citizen who died in ICE custody on June 23.
She said consular officials had been in contact with Johnny Noviello, 49, since he was detained by ICE on May 15. She also said she was bound by privacy considerations and could not share additional details.
On Thursday, the day Canadian officials were made aware of Noviello’s death, Anand said on social media that Ottawa was urgently seeking more information from U.S. officials. The exact cause of his death remains under investigation, ICE wrote on Thursday.
Noviello entered the U.S. with a visa on Jan. 2, 1988. He became a permanent resident three years later. In October 2023, he was convicted in eastern Florida for racketeering and drug trafficking and sentenced to 12 months in prison.
In May, he was arrested by ICE at a probations office and charged with removal for violating U.S. drug laws.
Anand expressed her condolences to Noviello’s family.
With files from CTV’s Stephane Ha
