In the midst of a pandemic, as they grieve the loss of their grandfather, Joe Giudice’s daughters need him for emotional support.
Unfortunately, right now, they cannot even visit him as they had planned to.
Joe was deported to Italy last year, as avid fans of The Real Housewives of New Jersey and readers of celebrity gossip know.
He chose to return to his native country, pending appeal, rather than remain in an ICE detention facility under awful conditions.
The estranged husband of Teresa Giudice continued to fight his case from Italy, with a glimmer of hope that he might prevail.
Unfortunately, we must now be the bearers of some truly grim news:
Joe has lost his final appeal and will not return to America.
Speaking exlusively to The Hollywood Gossip, Joe reflects upon this devastating news and why he now fears for his family’s future.
This is heartbreaking
Joe Giudice has lost his final deportation appeal. Below, you can read his statement to THG about this devastating blow.
Joe and Teresa served their time
The court agreed to allow Teresa to serve her shorter sentence before Joe served a jarring 41 months behind bars on charges of wire and bankruptcy fraud.
41 months …
That is a tremendous amount of time to be away from your four daughters who are growing, experiencing milestones, and developing as young human beings while you are away.
That should have been the end of it
Instead, there was a devastating twist. America is the only country that Joe has ever known, but he was technically born in Italy and brought to the US as a baby.
Make no mistake
Joe is an American, in that he has lived his entire life in the United States and raised his family here. But he was not a legally recognized citizen, which left him vulnerable. …
He fought and fought
But ultimately, Joe was deported from the US to Italy, a country that has never been his home.
He was devastated
Freedom is all good and well, but Joe lost his country and his wife in one fell swoop.
Realistically …
Joe knew and accepted that his marriage to Teresa could not continue with the entire Atlantic Ocean and the Federal Government standing between them.
But hey, at least his girls could visit
Joe’s four beautiful daughters, Gia, Gabriella, Milania, and Audriana, visited him after he was banished to Italy.
They visited again, months later
Teresa could not trek out to Italy in December because she was busy filming, but her daughters flew out to see Joe. It was a joyous reunion.
They were supposed to see him again
It is the understanding of fans that the plan was that they would go out to see him during Spring Break of 2020. Up until then, of course, school came first.
Teresa would never withhold them
She may no longer be Joe’s wife, but she’s the mother of his children, and she knows that they are attached to both parents and love them immensely.
Unfortunately
The COVID-19 pandemic overtook the globe before Spring Break. Even if Italy had not been especially hard-hit by the coronavirus, the Giudices are not fools — they weren’t going to endanger their daughters even if the airlines would let them.
They still kept in touch
Joe has marked his daughters’ milestones with glowing affection, singing their praises in public Instagram posts.
For that matter …
… Joe has even left some very flirty praise on Teresa’s social media. Divorce may end his marriage, but it hasn’t taken his eyes.
But it’s just not the same
As we are all experiencing while sheltering in place, there’s no amount of texting, video chatting, or social media correspondence that can equate to a face-to-face meeting — or a hug.
Sometimes, you need to be THERE
Joe wanted to be there, in person, for his daughters and for Teresa after Teresa’s father, Giacinto, passed away. He could have been part of that small, touching memorial service. Instead, his children said goodbye to their grandfather without the comforting presence of their father. It was a tragedy needlessly compounded.
Joe didn’t stop fighting
Even already deported, he continued by appealing his deportation. Joe is just one of many victims of a political engine that is working in overdrive to eject even non-violent, pillar-of-the-community residents who are not legal US citizens, but he was not ready to give up on living the rest of his life with his family.
Tragically …
On Wednesday, April 29, the judge denied Joe’s appeal.
Here is what Joe has to say
“As I proceeded with caution, hoping to win the judge’s sympathy. I was hoping to come home to my girls,” Joe Giudice exclusively tells The Hollywood Gossip.
The news has left him shaken
Joe laments to us: “Today, According to U.S immigration I was told I will never step foot in America again.” That is a horror that most of us cannot even imagine.
It’s a nightmare
“My appeal was denied,” Joe confirms to THG, adding: “The dreadful words no one wants to hear, especially now.”
This is not justice
“I always feel I belong in the United States with my family, not in Italy,” Joe correctly affirms to us.
His grief is exacting a physical toll
“My heart is aching,” Joe expresses to THG. “My limbs feel weak.”
He is in despair
“I won’t see my girls glowing smile that I loved waking up with every morning now,” Joe remarks to THG, telling us that this simple joy now “is lost.”
Joe fears for the future
In conclusion, Joe tells us: “That makes me scared it means that my kids world will be without me.”
This is it
Joe emphasizes to The Hollywood Gossip that this was his last shot — the final appeal. All of his hopes were riding on this case.
There WILL be a future
We know that he will see his amazing daughters again — if not in the US. But that does not make his grief any less palpable or understandable.
This is not right
Whatever you may think about Joe’s conviction, he served his time behind bars. Now he has the added sentence of a lifetime of separation from his daughters. That is a cruel and unjust consequence for the “crime” of his birth being geographically inconvenient.
Hang in there, Joe
Like countless others, he is grappling with finding a new life after being banished from the only home that he has ever known.
In time, he will adjust
We are rooting for him and for the entire Giudice family as they cope with this new, grim reality.