Who is 'Tan Mom' Patricia Krentcil? Podcaster says she was almost detained by 'racist' ICE agents at a restaurant because of her dark skin tone

Patricia Krentcil -- better known as "Tan Mom" -- said she was almost detained by agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after they questioned her about her citizenship. Krentcil, aged 58, who had made headlines for allegedly bringing her five-year-old daughter into a tanning booth in 2012, said on a podcast that she was nearly handcuffed while at a restaurant with friends. She did not say when or where the alleged incident occurred.

'It blew my mind'

Speaking on the "Light Tan Up" podcast, Krentcil said: "As we were walking out, the ICE people stopped me and they asked me ‘am I an American citizen,’ and I’m like, ‘yes.’ It blew my mind."


She added: "Because I was so tan they were about to handcuff me and take me away to God knows where. Cause once you get in those trucks, you don’t know where you’re going anymore."

Krentcil's 2012 arrest

Krentcil, a Republican supporter, went on to slam President Donald Trump for supporting what she described as nonsense. "I was scared but I held my own and I got out of the situation — but they’re very racist about color and nationality," she said.

Krentcil gained notoriety when she was arrested and charged with second-degree child endangerment in April 2012 after her daughter arrived at school with sunburns.

The charges were dropped in February the next year as an Essex County grand jury refused to indict her. She has since become a podcast host and social media influencer, and lives in Florida.

'Tan Mom's stint in politics

Krentcil has earlier tried to delve into politics. She entered the Senate race in Florida, challenging Republican leader and incumbent senator Rick Scott in the 2024 general election. However, she failed to make the ballot for the Republican primary.

ICE ops during second Trump term

After returning to office in January last year, Trump launched a harsh immigration crackdown, as part of which ICE has been conducting operations across states.

By July 2026, there were about 66,000 detainees in ICE custody, a surge of nearly 70 percent from the time Trump came back into power. At least 22 people have been shot by on-duty ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers during the second Trump administration. Several of them died.