Teresa Giudice Asks for Prayers as Husband Flies Back to Italy Amid Deportation Battle

Teresa Giudice could use some prayers right now.

In an Instagram post on Friday, the Real Housewives of New Jersey star shared a photo of the Statue of Liberty crying with her face in her hands. Teresa captioned the picture with a string of the praying hands emoji: “.”

Teresa’s post comes the same day that her husband, Joe Giudice, was released from ICE custody and flew to Rome, Italy.

“He is en route to Italy right now. He spoke to Teresa and Gia from the plane and he is extremely happy to be released, more than words can describe,” Joe’s lawyer James J. Leonard Jr. said in a statement to PEOPLE earlier on Friday.

Joe will continue to appeal his deportation order from the European country, PEOPLE confirmed.

“We are still fighting and it is his desire to return home to the United States to be reunited with his family,” Leonard’s statement continued. Joe and Teresa are parents to four daughters: Gia, 18, Gabriella, 15, Milania, 14, and Audriana, 10.

Prior to Friday, Joe was being held at the Clinton County Correctional Center in Pennsylvania after serving a 41-month prison sentence mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud that began in March 2016. He was released last March, but an immigration court ruled to deport Joe last October.

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A post shared by Teresa Giudice ® (@teresagiudice) on Oct 11, 2019 at 3:39pm PDT

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RELATED: Joe Giudice Leaves U.S. for Italy After Being Freed from ICE Custody Ahead of Deportation Appeal

Joe originally requested to be released from the correctional center to his home with Teresa and their kids in New Jersey, but that request was denied. He followed up with a petition filed in September to instead be released to Italy, which was granted earlier this month.

Joe was hoping to be released from custody so that he could work to make money for his family, his lawyers said in documents previously obtained by PEOPLE.

While it’s been a long and difficult road for the Giudice family, Joe still hopes that his deportation appeal will be granted and that he will be able to return home to his family. The final decision is still pending.

RELATED: Teresa Giudice Attends Rutgers Football Game with Daughter Gia Amid Husband Joe’s Deportation Fight

The mother of four has not directly addressed Joe’s deportation battle very often, but shared a cryptic message on Instagram when they learned that his request to leave the U.S. for Italy was granted.

The post featured a person doing yoga along with the quote, “We are the masters of each moment,” attributed to the meditation teacher Davidji.

In an interview last month, Teresa told Entertainment Tonight that she and her daughters were “hanging in there.”

“It’s a tough time right now, so just being with my daughters ,” she said. Still, life goes on: Teresa recently attended a football game with her daughter Gia, who is a student at Rutgers University, and the family celebrated Gabriella’s 15th birthday last week.