Peanut the squirrel owner's wife detained by ICE, faces deportation to Germany
Photo: The Associated Press (file photo)Daniela Bittner, the German-born wife of Mark Longo — the man who raised Peanut, the viral pet squirrel — has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for nearly a month and faces possible deportation to Germany, the Associated Press reported Thursday.
Bittner, 30, was arrested by immigration officers in mid-October at Elmira Corning Regional Airport in upstate New York, near the Pennsylvania border, as the couple headed to a TikTok event, according to the AP. The Department of Homeland Security says she was taken into custody on Oct. 15 and will remain in ICE custody while removal proceedings play out.
DHS says Bittner entered the United States legally several times between May 2021 and November 2022, with permission to stay for a temporary period, and then remained in the country beyond the time she was authorized to stay. "She chose to overstay her welcome in defiance of our nation's laws," a DHS spokesperson said.
Longo disputes that account. He told the AP the couple made a mistake on one of her immigration forms and did not catch the error while they were dealing with the uproar over Peanut's seizure and killing. "You're telling me, all of this because my wife and I forgot to do the proper form?" he said. "You know, arrest the people who deserve to be arrested. My wife is not one of them."
Since her arrest, Bittner has been moved through multiple immigration lockups — Syracuse, Buffalo and Louisiana — and is now housed in Texas, according to her husband, who called conditions in the facilities "deplorable." DHS rejected that claim, telling TMZ that "any allegations of subprime conditions are FALSE" and that detainees receive proper meals, clean water, blankets, medical care and time to contact family and lawyers.
The case is the latest twist in the saga of Peanut, also known as P'Nut, an orphaned squirrel whose antics made him a social media star. In October 2024, New York wildlife officers seized Peanut from the couple's home after complaints that they were illegally keeping wild animals as pets, including the squirrel and a raccoon. During an inspection, Peanut bit the gloved thumb of a wildlife biologist and was euthanized so he could be tested for rabies.
The episode drew national attention and became a campaign talking point for Republicans, including then-vice presidential candidate JD Vance, who held it up as an example of government overreach by Democrats. "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," Vance said at a rally just before the 2024 election.
Longo, who told the AP he tries to steer clear of politics, said the irony is not lost on him. "They put Peanut on a pedestal, won their election, and threw him off that pedestal immediately," he said. "I'm begging the world to find an answer as to why this keeps happening to me. One time, you can call it what it is. Two times, it's now becoming a little bit more of a target."
Longo said local officials have been looking into his wife's case and that he has spoken about her arrest to UFC chief Dana White, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump whom he met after Peanut was taken. He said he will have to shut down P'Nut's Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary, the nonprofit animal rescue the couple runs in Pine City, New York, which cares for about 600 animals, including 100 horses, if she is deported.
"The only outcome that will save this place is my wife not being deported," he said.
Sources: The Associated Press, "Peanut the squirrel's former owner has been detained by ICE and could be deported" (Nov. 12, 2026, via WAMC, full text verified) — arrest at Elmira Corning Regional Airport in mid-October, DHS overstay statement, Longo's account of a paperwork error, detention moves to Texas, Peanut background and Vance quote, Dana White and sanctuary details; New York Post, "Former owner of P'Nut, pet squirrel decapitated by NY, is detained by ICE — but husband says arrest is mistake" (Nov. 11, 2026) — confirms Bittner, 30, German national, detention in Syracuse, Buffalo, Louisiana and Texas, and the sanctuary; New York Post, "Feds reveal why OnlyFans model who became famous for P'nut the squirrel saga was busted by ICE" (Nov. 11, 2026) — DHS statement with the Oct. 15 arrest date, May 2021–November 2022 lawful entries, and "a pending application does not confer legal status"; TMZ, "P'nut the Squirrel Owner's Wife Overstayed U.S. Stay, DHS Denies ICE Mistreatment Claims" (Nov. 11, 2026) — DHS denial of substandard-conditions claims. Event date verified: November 12, 2026 (AP report; arrest in mid-October 2026).
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