Joe Giudice Breaks Silence After Leaving ICE Custody for Italy

Joe Giudice is sending a message of hope after being released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody after seven months, having been deported to his native Italy following a 41-month prison sentence. The Real Housewives of New Jersey husband spoke out for the first time in a video published Tuesday by Bravo’s The Daily Dish, sending words of wisdom to his fans and family.

“You just gotta look forward and never look back,” he began his video. “Life, it’s always better to through the windshield and not through the rearview mirror, you know? It’s a much bigger picture when you’re looking through the windshield. But, at the end of the day, people make mistakes. Nobody’s perfect.”

After spending so many years in custody, Giudice explained he had grown as a person, but that returning to Italy as his family continues to appeal his deportation is the best choice for him now.

“I’ve learned a valuable lesson from all this,” he confessed. “I know my family is the most important thing to me. But it’s better that I’m out here than in there.”

The Bravo husband made sure to give a shout out to wife Teresa Giudice and their daughters Gia, 18, Gabriella, 15, Milania, 13, and Audriana, 10.

“I just want to let you know that I love you,” he told his family. “And I’m always here for you. You know that.”

Since Joe was released earlier this month from ICE custody, he has been all about family, with Gia sharing a smiley photo of her father FaceTiming her after his release. “One of the happiest moments of my life!” Gia wrote. “Love you so much daddy, so happy your free! See you so soon.”

The Giudice family is reportedly preparing to visit their patriarch in Italy soon.

“They can’t wait to see each other. They can’t wait to sit down and have dinner as a family for the first time in three and half years,” Giudice family attorney James J. Leonard Jr. told TMZ. “They can’t wait to hug each other for the first time in almost a year and talk and laugh like normal people.”

For now, he’s reconnecting with other family members, such as brother Pete Giudice.

“A day we’ve all been patiently waiting for,” Pete’s wife Sheila wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of the two brothers beaming. “Pete and Joe reunited at last. Smiles bigger and brighter than the sky. Our hearts are so full.”

Photo credit: Getty / Paul Zimmerman