P'Nut the Squirrel's Former Owner Says Wife Detained by ICE, Facing Deportation

Mark Longo, the former owner of viral sensation P'Nut the Squirrel, says his wife remains in ICE detention nearly a month after being taken into custody and he fears her possible deportation could force him to shut down their nonprofit animal rescue.

Longo tells TMZ ... his wife, Daniela Bittner, is still being held by immigration authorities over what he describes as paperwork issues, and the situation has gone from bad to worse.

According to the New York Post, Bittner, a German national, was detained October 16 at Elmira airport in New York while the couple was traveling to a TikTok event. Longo said his wife entered the country legally, but the couple allegedly filed incorrect immigration paperwork.

Longo now tells TMZ he's desperate for help, claiming his wife has been subjected to terrible living conditions while in detention and denied replacement contact lenses, which he says nearly caused serious damage to her eyes.

He also claims authorities have imposed the maximum penalties in her case and aren't allowing the couple to appeal at the moment.

"We are fighting so hard, but they are about to deport my life and finish what they started," Longo tells us.

Longo says the ordeal could also mean the end of P'Nut's Freedom Farm, the nonprofit animal rescue the couple operates together.

"Without my wife, I have to shut down the farm," he tells TMZ.

As we reported ... P'nut became a viral sensation before New York officials seized and euthanized the squirrel in October 2024, sparking widespread outrage.