Entertainment
The woman behind P'Nut the squirrel is stuck in immigration detention as her husband begs for help
Daniela Bittner, who helped raise viral squirrel P'Nut, has been in ICE custody for nearly a month. DHS says she overstayed her permitted time in the U.S.
The couple behind P'Nut the squirrel is in another fight with the government. This time it is over Mark Longo's wife.
Daniela Bittner has been held by immigration agents for close to a month. Longo says he is desperate and fears she could be sent back to Germany any day.
Picked up at the airport
Bittner was taken into custody at Elmira Corning Regional Airport in upstate New York in mid-October. The pair had been heading to a TikTok event.
Longo says she came to the country legally. He blames a mistake on her immigration paperwork for the whole mess.
His claims about her treatment
Longo says his wife has been moved between detention centers in several states. He describes the conditions as awful.
He also says she was refused new contact lenses. By his account that nearly did serious harm to her eyes.
He claims officials have hit her with the toughest penalties possible. He says the couple is not being allowed to appeal for now.
"We are fighting so hard, but they are about to deport my life and finish what they started," he said.
The government's side
The Department of Homeland Security tells a very different story. A spokesperson says Bittner, a German citizen, came into the U.S. legally on a number of trips starting in May 2021 through late 2022. The agency says she then stayed longer than she was allowed.
DHS says a pending immigration application does not give anyone legal status on its own. She will stay in custody while her removal case plays out.
The agency flatly rejected the complaints about her care. "Any allegations of subprime conditions are FALSE," the spokesperson said. DHS says detainees get proper meals, clean water, blankets, medical care and time to contact family and lawyers.
The farm could close
The couple runs P'Nut's Freedom Farm, a nonprofit animal rescue. Longo says his wife handles the paperwork and brings in more than half of the donations.
"Without my wife, I have to shut down the farm," he said.
P'Nut went viral online before New York officials seized the squirrel and put him down in October 2024. The move set off a wave of outrage across the country.
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