Tan Mom says immigration agents almost hauled her off because of her deep tan

Patricia Krentcil, better known as Tan Mom, says a run-in with immigration agents almost ended with her in cuffs.

She believes her trademark bronze skin is the reason they singled her out.

Krentcil told the story on a new episode of her podcast "Light Tan Up," which she hosts with her pal Adam Barta. Tom Arnold sat in as a guest.

Stopped outside a restaurant

According to Krentcil, she and a girlfriend had just left a restaurant when ICE agents approached and asked whether she was a citizen of the United States.

She says she told them she was. Even so, she claims things got tense enough that she thought she was about to be handcuffed and driven away, all over the color of her skin.

Krentcil says she had no clue where she might have ended up. She called the moment frightening.

Standing her ground

Scared as she was, she says she held firm. In the end, she walked away without being taken into custody.

Not holding back

Krentcil did not mince words about the agency. She called ICE racist and took aim at President Donald Trump, who she says backs "all of this nonsense."

The reality TV figure says the encounter left her rattled. She is now speaking up about what she sees as unfair treatment because of how she looks.