Federal immigration authorities have taken into custody the wife of the man who owned Peanut the squirrel, the internet-famous pet whose 2024 euthanasia became a flashpoint in Republican campaign rhetoric. Daniela Bittner, a German citizen, was arrested in mid-October at a small airport near the New York-Pennsylvania border and is now being held in a Texas detention facility, according to her husband, Mark Longo.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the arrest, stating that Bittner had "chose to overstay her welcome in defiance of our nation's laws." Longo, however, insists the detention stems from an administrative error on an immigration form, not a deliberate violation. He described the conditions in the lockups as "deplorable" and expressed frustration that his wife's case has become entangled with the political fallout over Peanut's death.
Peanut, an orphaned squirrel raised by Longo and Bittner, gained a massive following on social media for his playful antics. In 2024, New York state wildlife officials, acting on complaints about the couple keeping wild animals as pets, seized the squirrel and a raccoon from their home. During an inspection, Peanut bit a biologist's gloved thumb, leading officials to euthanize the animal for rabies testing. The incident sparked outrage, with Republicans—including then-candidate JD Vance and now-President Donald Trump—seizing on it as an example of government overreach.
Vance, at a rally just before the 2024 election, said, "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 thing." The couple's story became a rallying cry for critics of Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul's administration.
Longo, who runs an animal sanctuary with Bittner, said the couple made an error on one of her immigration forms but didn't catch it while dealing with the Peanut controversy. "You know, arrest the people who deserve to be arrested. My wife is not one of them," he told the Associated Press. "You're telling me, all of this because my wife and I forgot to do the proper form?"
He added that he has been in contact with local officials and UFC chief Dana White, a longtime Trump ally, about his wife's case. Longo said the sanctuary will have to shut down if Bittner is deported. "The only outcome that will save this place is my wife not being deported," he said.
The case has drawn attention amid broader immigration enforcement actions under the Trump administration, including a surge in ICE arrests that has raised concerns among immigrant communities. Longo, who says he tries to avoid politics, feels targeted by the government. "I'm begging the world to find an answer as to why this keeps happening to me," he said. "One time, you can call it what it is. Two times, it's now becoming a little bit more of a target."
Bittner's detention marks the latest twist in a saga that has blurred the lines between a viral animal story and partisan politics. While the Peanut case was used to criticize Democratic governance, the current situation involves a Trump-aligned federal agency, adding a new layer of irony. Longo's plea for leniency underscores the human cost of immigration enforcement, even as the political debate over such policies intensifies.
