Daniela Bittner, wife of Mark Longo, the man known for caring for Peanut the internet-famous squirrel, has been detained by U.S. immigration officers and could be deported to Germany. The arrest came roughly a month before news of her detention surfaced, with Longo saying his wife has since been shuffled between immigration facilities and is now held in Texas.
Arrest at a Small Airport Near the Pennsylvania Border
According to the Associated Press, as reported by ClickOnDetroit, Bittner was arrested in mid-October at a small airport near New York's border with Pennsylvania. Accounts of the exact date differ: a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told NewsNation that she was arrested on October 15 at the Elmira Corning Regional Airport, while The Daily Beast reported the arrest happened October 16 as the couple were leaving their car to catch a flight to a TikTok event, when plainclothes officers swarmed the vehicle. DHS, which operates under President Donald Trump, said Bittner was arrested because she had overstayed her welcome in defiance of U.S. laws.
The government's account of her immigration history has also varied by outlet. NewsNation reported that DHS alleged Bittner repeatedly entered the United States illegally between May 2021 and November 2022, while TMZ reported that DHS described her entries during that same period as legal, saying she had simply overstayed the time she was permitted to remain in the country. NewsNation reported that Bittner faces deportation and that DHS said a pending application does not confer legal status.
Longo Says It Was a Paperwork Mix-Up
Longo has pushed back hard on the government's framing, blaming his wife's detention on what he calls an immigration paperwork mix-up. Longo said the two of them simply forgot to complete the proper form and that his wife did not deserve to be arrested over it. NewsNation reported that he told the New York Post the government claimed they had filed the wrong piece of paper. He described detention conditions as deplorable, and told TMZ that Bittner has gone without replacement contact lenses while in custody, a situation the outlet said he attributed to “terrible living conditions” inside the facilities where she has been held.
Longo said his wife has been moved to several ICE detention centers in multiple states and is now being held in Texas, and that local officials are looking into her case. He has also sought help in high places, telling NewsNation he spoke about the arrest with UFC chief Dana White, a longstanding ally of President Trump whom Longo said he met after Peanut was taken from their home.
The Sanctuary Peanut Left Behind
Longo and Bittner run P'Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary, which they opened in April 2023 and which housed about 300 animals at the time of a November 2024 report by The Guardian. The Daily Beast later reported the sanctuary now houses 600 animals, including 100 horses. Longo has said he will have to shut the sanctuary down if his wife is deported, and that the only outcome that would save it is Bittner being allowed to stay.
Peanut, also known as P'nut, became a social media star through his antics while living with Longo in Southport, New York. New York state officials had received multiple complaints that the couple illegally kept wild animals as pets, and on October 30, 2024, they seized Peanut along with a raccoon named Fred from Longo's home near the Pennsylvania border in rural Pine City. The Guardian reported that both animals were euthanized to test for rabies after Peanut bit a wildlife biologist's gloved thumb during the investigation. The Associated Press later reported that Peanut tested negative for rabies after being euthanized.
A Political Flashpoint Then and Now
Peanut's death drew national political attention in 2024, with then-candidate JD Vance criticizing government involvement in the squirrel's seizure and killing, saying, “The same government that doesn't care about hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant criminals coming into our country doesn't want us to have pets. It's the craziest, the craziest thing.” Republicans broadly criticized New York's handling of the case and Governor Kathy Hochul, the state's Democratic governor. Longo and Bittner later spoke at the New York State Capitol building in Albany in April 2025.
Longo has said he tries to avoid politics but feels the government keeps intruding into his life, and that he increasingly believes he has become a target. He has asked the public to help explain why these events keep happening to him, as his wife remains in custody awaiting the next steps in her case.
