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 immigration authorities.
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squirrel → seize → authorities
Daniela Bittner, a German native, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in mid-October at a small airport near New York's border with Pennsylvania, according to The Associated Press (AP).
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Bittner → arrest → Press
She and her husband of four years, Mark Longo, were planning to attend a TikTok event when officers approached them, according to the New York Post.
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officers → plan → Post
Longo said his wife's detention stemmed from what he described as a minor paperwork issue, The AP said.
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AP → say → issue
The couple reportedly made an error on one of her immigration forms and failed to catch it while dealing with the seizure and euthanasia of Peanut.
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couple → make → Peanut
"She came into this country legally on a visa.
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She → come → visa
We filed the paperwork and stuff and apparently the government is saying we filed the wrong piece of paper," Longo told The Post.
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Longo → file → Post
"They had asked for additional information, which we provided, and then apparently they sent a letter stating that it was denied because we filed the wrong paperwork, which we never received," he said.
"This is a minor paperwork issue and it’s being treated as if my wife literally crawled out a hole to get into this country," he added.
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he → ask → country
Longo said Bittner has no criminal history and was hit with the maximum penalty, potentially facing deportation without a hearing, according to The Post.
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Bittner → say → Post
The couple reportedly married in 2022, shortly after Bittner returned to Germany to resolve a visa situation.
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Bittner → marry → situation
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told the outlet that Bittner lawfully entered the U.S. multiple times between May 2021 and November 2022, each time receiving permission to stay for a temporary period.
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Bittner → tell → period
However, DHS said she was arrested because she "chose to overstay her welcome in defiance of our nation's laws.
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she → say → laws
"
"To be clear, a pending application does not confer legal status in the United States," DHS told the Post.
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DHS → pende → Post
Bittner has reportedly been transferred between several detention centers, from Syracuse to Buffalo, Louisiana and eventually Texas.
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Bittner → transfer → Buffalo
Longo described the conditions his wife has faced in federal custody as "deplorable," The AP said.
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AP → describe → custody
Her arrest has also cast uncertainty over the couple's nonprofit animal rescue operation, where Bittner reportedly cares for 600 animals rescued from neglect.
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Bittner → cast → neglect
"If my wife gets deported for a paperwork issue, we will lose EVERYTHING we worked for.
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we → deport → EVERYTHING
Our Nonprofit Animal Sanctuary will close and 600 animals will have to find another home.
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animals → close → home
All we wanted was to be left alone.
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we → want → ?
We finally moved on from the tragic murder of Pnut, now to this," he said.
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he → move → this
The couple found themselves at the center of a nationwide wildlife controversy in 2024 after New York wildlife officials seized and euthanized their pet squirrel, sparking widespread outrage.
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officials → find → outrage
Longo had rescued Peanut when he was just 5 weeks old after the squirrel's mother was reportedly struck and killed by a car.
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mother → rescue → car
The animal later became a viral social media sensation, amassing a large following online.
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animal → become → following
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Press → contribute → report
The Aporia
