Real Housewives star Teresa Giudice asks Trump for help with his deportation

The family of a US reality TV star is calling on President Trump to intervene in an eviction case.

Teresa Giudice's husband, known for the Real Housewives series in New Jersey, was sentenced to return to her native Italy.

Joe Giudice, who also participated in the series, arrived in the United States while he was a baby, but never became a citizen.

He recently completed a 41-month federal prison for a multi-million dollar fraud case.

After his release, the 46-year-old journalist was immediately transferred to an American Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Pennsylvania.

Under US law, permanent residents who commit crimes of "moral turpitude" may be deported.

Mr. Giudice was jailed for a series of fraud charges initially laid against the couple in 2013.

Prosecutors charged them with 41 offenses, including electronic fraud and bankruptcy. The couple admitted their guilt in 2014.

Both were sentenced to jail at the same time, which allowed them to keep custody of their four daughters.

Teresa served a 15-month prison term in 2011 and lasted 11 months. She has since returned to public life.

Giuseppe "Joe" Giudice (left front) was born in Saronno, Italy

The Real Housewives reality franchise, which began in 2006, focuses on the glamorous lives of wealthy women and their families.

It has nine editions in the United States and spin-offs around the world.

Call for help

A petition, launched earlier this week, calls on the presidents' badistance to end the deportation.

The eldest daughter of the couple, Gia, aged 18, created the call entitled "STOP the deportation of Joe Giudice".

It is signed on behalf of the entire family and already has more than 60,000 signatures.

The page change.org describes the father of girls as "our handyman, our confidant, our cheerleader, our challenger and especially our protector".

"He knows nothing about Italian culture, laws and social norms, he has no close family and will not be able to find work in this foreign country," says the petition.

"We are asking our president, Donald J. Trump, to review our petition and to forgive my father for relieving him of this life sentence that the courts are imposing on him …"

Teresa, who starred in the reality show Celebrity Apprentice alongside Trump, has launched this call to her 1.6 million Instagram subscribers on Thursday.

She republished a photo showing the couple with their children next to the #BringJoeHome hashtag.

On Thursday, it was announced that a temporary suspension of his deportation had been imposed on Giudice.

"We are pleased that the court has granted us a temporary stay," Family Lawyer James Leonard Jr told local media.

He stated that Giudice's immigration lawyers were "doing everything they could" to bring him home, adding "we are extremely grateful for all their efforts".