The wife of the New York man whose viral pet squirrel, Peanut, was seized and euthanized by wildlife officials in 2024 has been detained by U.S. immigration authorities.
Daniela Bittner, a native of Germany, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in mid-October at a small airport near New York’s border with Pennsylvania, The Associated Press reported.
Bittner and her husband of four years, Mark Longo, were preparing to attend a TikTok event when officers approached them, the New York Post reported.
Longo said the detention resulted from what he characterized as a minor paperwork problem, according to the AP. The couple reportedly submitted the wrong immigration form and failed to discover the mistake while coping with Peanut’s seizure and euthanasia.
Mark Longo, center, and his wife, Daniela Bittner, left, speak at a news conference in Albany, New York, on April 8, 2025. Longo says a paperwork error led to Bittner’s ICE detention. (AP Photo/Michael Hill)
“She entered this country legally on a visa. We filed the paperwork, and apparently the government says we submitted the wrong document,” Longo told the Post.
“They requested additional information, which we provided. Then, apparently, they sent a letter saying the application had been denied because we filed the wrong paperwork. We never received that letter,” he said.
“This is a minor paperwork issue, yet it’s being treated as though my wife literally crawled through a hole to enter this country,” Longo added.
Peanut was rescued by his adoptive human parents at 5 weeks old after his mother was reportedly struck and killed by a car. (peanut_the_squirrel12 via Instagram)
Longo said Bittner has no criminal record but received the maximum penalty and could face deportation without a hearing, the Post reported.
The couple reportedly married in 2022, soon after Bittner returned to Germany to address a visa issue.
The Department of Homeland Security told the outlet that Bittner legally entered the United States several times between May 2021 and November 2022. Each entry allowed her to remain in the country temporarily.
DHS said, however, that she was arrested because she “chose to overstay her welcome in defiance of our nation’s laws.”
“To be clear, a pending application does not confer legal status in the United States,” DHS told the Post.
Bittner has reportedly been moved among several detention facilities, including centers in Syracuse, Buffalo, Louisiana and, ultimately, Texas.
Longo described the conditions she has encountered in federal custody as “deplorable,” according to the AP.
Bittner’s detention has also put the couple’s nonprofit animal rescue operation at risk. She reportedly helps care for about 600 animals rescued from neglect.
“If my wife gets deported over a paperwork issue, we will lose EVERYTHING we worked for. Our nonprofit animal sanctuary will close, and 600 animals will need new homes. All we wanted was to be left alone. We had finally moved on from the tragic murder of P’Nut, and now this,” Longo said.
Peanut the squirrel eats peanuts in a photo shared on Instagram. (peanut_the_squirrel12 via Instagram)
The couple became the focus of a national wildlife controversy in 2024 after New York officials seized and euthanized their pet squirrel, prompting widespread public outrage.
Longo rescued Peanut when the squirrel was only 5 weeks old, after his mother was reportedly hit and killed by a car. Peanut later became a social media celebrity, attracting a substantial online following.