FOX · 2026-11-12 23:10 UTC

Former owner of Peanut the squirrel, viral pet euthanized by NY officials, detained by ICE

Daniela Bittner, wife of Mark Longo, owner of the viral pet squirrel Peanut, was detained by ICE in mid-October at a small airport near New York's Pennsylvania border. Longo says the detention stems from a paperwork error on her immigration form, which they did not receive notice of, and that she has no criminal history. DHS says Bittner entered the U.S. multiple times on temporary permits and was arrested for choosing to overstay, and that a pending application confers no legal status.

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