Real Housewife of New Jersey Finally Talks and Vows to Appeal Husband’s Deportation Order
Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice has finally broken her silence about the recent order deporting her real husband, Giuseppe “Joe” Giudice. ETOnline reports that “the Real Housewives of New Jersey star is opening up exclusively to ET about. . . the recent deportation order in her first on-camera interview on the subject.” The interview will first air on tonight’s episode of ET.
As the Norris McLaughlin Immigration Blog recently reported, Joe Giudice was ordered deported to his native Italy by Judge John Ellington at the York Immigration Court in York, Pennsylvania, on October 10. Joe immigrated to the United States from Italy when he was a child, as a lawful permanent resident, or, “green card” holder. Running on the incorrect assumption that “permanent resident” really meant “permanent,” Giudice never went through the process of becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States. Therefore, his conviction triggered civil deportation proceedings, with ICE alleging, now successfully, that Giudice was convicted of a crime that immigration law refers to as an ‘aggravated felony’—a deportation death trap. Giudice’s conviction gave him little hope of avoiding deportation from the United States, absent a showing that Giudice fears returning to beautiful Italy because of persecution or torture at the hands of the Italian government.
Joe has only a few days left to file an appeal with the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) in Arlington, Virginia. Filing an appeal with the BIA will trigger an automatic stay of Judge Ellington’s deportation order. Given that Joe was deemed an “aggravated felon,” he will remain in custody through the duration of any immigration appeals, without the possibility of bail, regardless of whether his criminal sentence comes to an end.
According to ETOnline, Teresa, distraught at the possible separation of the couple’s children from their father while trying to cope with the reality of the American Immigration system, vows that the family will appeal to the BIA: “I just take it day by day. . . . We’re going to fight this.”
Watch Teresa’s interview on ET. If you have questions about this post or any other immigration matter, feel free to contact me at rglahoud@norris-law.com.
