'Tan Mom' Patricia Krentcil Claims She Was Nearly Arrested by ICE Because of Her Skin Color: 'I Was Scared'
Tan Mom alleged ICE agents questioned her nationality.
Oct. 22 2026, Published 12:47 p.m. ET
Patricia "Tan Mom" Krentcil alleged she was nearly arrested by ICE, RadarOnline.com has learned.
She described a nerve-wracking experience of being confronted by ICE officers while exiting a restaurant with a friend on an episode of her podcast, Light Than Up.
'Tan Mom' Rattled by Near Arrest
She opened up about the incident to her cohost, Adam Barta.
While speaking with her co-host Adam Barta and guest Tom Arnold, she claimed authorities asked her if she was an American citizen.
She replied to the authorities, and the conversation nearly reached an arrest as those involved grew heated.
However, Krentcil ultimately dodged cuffs by standing her ground.
"They asked me, 'Am I an American citizen?' and I’m, like, 'Yes', you know. It blew my mind," Krentcil said. "Because I was so tanned, they were about to handcuff me and take me away G-d knows where because once you get in those trucks, you don't know where you're going anymore."
The 58-year-old claimed the incident resulted from her dark complexion, indicating ICE agents are allegedly racist.
Despite her right-wing allegiance, she disavowed ICE. Plus, she pushed blame onto President Donald Trump for "all of this nonsense."
Trump notably expanded ICE's authority and allowed them to take a far more secretive approach to their operations. He has repeatedly advocated for a crackdown on illegal immigration.
Tan Mom Turns on Trump
She previously ran for political office.
Her position against Trump differs from her prior stance.
In 2024, she ran in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate in Florida. At first, she appeared to be pro-Trump, but she may have only been hoping to ride his coattails into office.
After all, she took issue with several of his policy issues, and Krentcil campaigned herself as an alternative to her more conservative opponent, incumbent Senator Rick Scott.
She put families at the center of her platform, especially when it came to rising medical costs.
"I would pass a law for everybody to be able to have insurance, Medicare, Medicaid – that you can't be rejected," she told Fox News, supporting a policy move seldom championed by modern Republicans.
'Tan Mom' Remained True to Republicans
She advocated oppositely of her own party.
In addition, Krentcil supported a tax cut for mothers, citing concern about the current cost of living. Plus, she wanted to expand the tax credits for working parents with children.
She also backed the LGBTQ+ community at a time when Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and her rival, Scott, were pushing an opposite agenda. Krentcil opposed the marginalization of LGBTQ+ individuals, disavowing other Republicans in the state who she claimed lacked "compassion."
"I'm a very honest person," Krentcil said. She claimed she was running "to show people that they have the choice of compassion, to vote the way they want to vote, to be their own person, not be afraid, not be judged when they go out in public."
With her views seemingly veering away from the Republican Party, she was challenged regarding her allegiances.
However, she insisted she was loyal to her party.
"Some people might say I have a Democratic view, but I've always been a Republican my whole life," Krentcil elaborated.
Star Contemplates Reality TV Revamp
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
She advocated for transparency in her political campaign.
Plus, she admitted entering office could be an amazing opportunity for her media career.
"Our plan is to take people inside the war room, be a fly on the wall of our campaign meetings and calls," she said. "We want to document my meeting with families across the Sunshine State and beyond, hearing their issues and feelings in real-time. We’re already shooting B-roll and behind-the-scenes footage, so whatever documentary form this lives in, people will have a record of it."
Her belief was reality TV would be a great place to showcase the diverse range of opinions of voters. Plus, Krentcil noted the public nature would keep her campaign transparent.
