Joe Giudice Says He'll 'Do Everything In My Power' To Return To US, Reunite With Daughters

Joe Giudice has vowed to "do everything in my power" to get back to his four daughters with ex-wife Teresa Giudice as he starts the legal battle to return to the U.S.

The "Real Housewives of New Jersey" alum, 49, talked about his efforts to reunite with his children in a statement to E! News, a year and a half after he was deported to his native Italy after serving nearly three years in federal prison for fraud and spending another seven months in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center.

According to Joe, he's begun working with immigration attorney Jessica Cadavid so they could start the process of trying to get him to the U.S.

The Bravo alum confirmed that his lawyer "is filing a waiver of inadmissibility." The waiver will "allow certain inadmissible foreign nationals to enter the United States temporarily as nonimmigrants," the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website states.

"I feel I deserve one because I did my time for a mistake that I deeply regret," the 49-year-old reality star said. "It cost me my life, my family. It was a bad judgment on my end, which I deeply regret."

Joe further explained that "sometimes good people make bad mistakes," but that doesn't mean they have to pay for it with a "lifetime of judgment and torture."

Joe and Teresa were indicted on federal fraud charges in 2013. After serving his prison sentence, Joe was deported to Italy in 2019 despite having lived his whole life in the U.S. His third and most recent deportation appeal was denied in April 2020.

Joe and Teresa separated in December 2019 following their individual prison stints and finalized their divorce in September last year.

Joe, who shares daughters Gia, 20, Gabriella, 17, Milania, 15, and Audriana, 12, with his ex-wife, told E! News that he talks to his kids "all the time via phone or FaceTime."

"Gia was just here not too long ago. My kids visit together as much as they can, but, of course, it's not the same as if I were in Jersey with them and could see them every day," he told the outlet. "Regarding my legal fight, my girls know that I won't stop and will do everything in my power until I can be with them again."

Joe said the legal process "could take up to a year" until they reach an outcome. "I pray for a miracle that it's sooner," he said.

Earlier this month, Joe reunited with his eldest daughter Gia in the Bahamas, where he has been staying since January.