Teresa Giudice is hoping her friendship with President Donald Trump will result in Joe Giudice getting a pardon, so he doesn’t have to be deported to Italy.
Joe finished serving his 41-month long prison sentence in March and has been locked up in custody since then.
Right now, Joe’s future in the United States is uncertain and Teresa and her family are doing everything possible to get a pardon from The White House.
However, Teresa’s appearance on Celebrity Apprentice with Trump prior to him becoming President may not be enough for him to provide Joe a pardon.
A source tells PEOPLE that the issue of giving Joe a pardon isn’t even on the radar at this point. In fact, the issue hasn’t even reached The White House. Plus, the fact that Teresa and Joe are famous because of The Real Housewives of New Jersey isn’t enough for Trump to consider a pardon.
The family hasn’t seen Joe since he was released in March.
Gia Giudice, Teresa and Joe’s oldest daughter, has launched a petition on Change.org with the goal of raising enough signatures to get the attention of Donald Trump. The petition is called “Stop the deportation of Joe Giudice.”
In the petition, Gia explains her father knows nothing about the Italian culture, way of life, and he would be without his family.
She also defends her father, noting he has served his time and is working hard on creating a positive future for himself and his family. Finally, she notes he’s not a danger to society.
“We request that our President, Donald J Trump review our petition and pardon my father to relieve him of this life sentence the courts are bestowing on him, yes in Italy he will no longer be incarcerated but will he ever be free if kept from his family and be able to be a productive member of society?” reads the petition.
Right now, it doesn’t seem like President Trump will consider giving Joe a pardon.
As PEOPLE notes, he granted clemency to Alice Marie Johnson, a grandmother who was serving a life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense after Kim Kardashian West lobbied on her behalf.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey is expected to return for Season 10 later this year on Bravo.