Television personality Patricia “Tan Mom” Krentcil has claimed she was nearly detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents after they questioned whether she was an American citizen. She alleged officers targeted her because of her deeply tanned skin.
Speaking on an episode of her podcast Light Than Up, Krentcil said the encounter occurred as she and a friend were leaving a restaurant. She told co-host Adam Barta and guest Tom Arnold that officers asked whether she was a US citizen.
“They asked me, ‘Am I an American citizen?’ and I’m, like, ‘Yes.’ It blew my mind,” Krentcil said.
The 58-year-old alleged officers were preparing to handcuff her because of her appearance.“Because I was so tanned, they were about to handcuff me and take me away,” she claimed during the podcast.
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Krentcil criticizes ICE and Trump
Krentcil said the experience changed her view of the federal immigration agency. According to RadarOnline, she accused ICE agents of profiling her because of her skin tone.
She also criticized President Donald Trump, blaming his administration’s immigration policies for what she described as the incident.
Since his appointment, Trump has made immigration enforcement a central part of his administration. He has extensively expanded ICE operations and repeatedly called for stricter enforcement against people living in the United States illegally.
Krentcil’s comments mark a shift from her earlier public political stance.
In 2024, she entered the Republican primary for the US Senate in Florida. She challenged incumbent Republican Rick Scott. During the campaign, she presented herself as a Republican and supported several policies that differed from the party’s mainstream positions.
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Moderate position for her campaign
She prioritized families for her campaign. “I would pass a law for everybody to be able to have insurance, Medicare, Medicaid – that you can’t be rejected.”
She also proposed tax cuts for mothers and expanding tax credits for working families.
Krentcil publicly supported LGBTQ+ rights during her campaign. She also distanced herself from positions taken by some Florida Republicans, including Governor Ron DeSantis.
Krentcil also said her campaign was designed to be documented as a reality television-style project. “Our plan is to take people inside the war room,” she said, adding that behind-the-scenes footage would allow voters to follow the campaign in real time, according to RadarOnline.