Incarceration as Social Determinant of Health
Penn Researcher Says Mental Illness, Chronic Disease Risks Surge After Release
In Their Own Words
How ‘The Talk’ Has Changed: Latino Families Prepare Kids for ICE Raids
As Immigration Arrests Surge and Deaths in ICE Custody Rise, Parents Turn ‘The Talk’ Into Emergency Plans—Covering What To Do if Families Get Separated
Print:
This op-ed originally appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer on April 26, 2026.
Black parents call it “The Talk” when they tell their children how to interact with police. But now, with immigration arrests surging by 600% last year, and with 32 people dying while they were in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody last year, according to the Guardian, those talks have taken on new meaning in the Latino community and beyond. As of March of this year, that number is already at 46 — the highest in 20 years — according to a KFF report.
These talks — las charlas in Spanish — have quietly become family disaster plans. Who will care for the children if parents get detained? Do children know an adult to call? How can we access information about their medical conditions, vaccinations, allergies, medications, favorite foods, and indispensable stuffed animals that new caregivers need to know about?
In my professional life, I care for immigrant families and work to uplift immigrant communities. I’m also a first-generation immigrant myself: a fiercely proud Latina and American.
My mind these days is heavy with the talks happening — and needing to happen — in our community.
Read the full op-ed here.
Author
Diana Montoya-Williams, MD, MSHP
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine; Attending Neonatologist, Neonatology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
More on Health Equity
ED Psychiatric Boarding of Children Worsens Nationwide
Penn LDI Senior Fellow Dominic Sisti Cites “Alarming Levels”
Meaningful Representation in Clinical Trials Strengthens Science
Failure to Include Diverse Populations Undermines Innovation in the Age of Precision Medicine
Dancing Students Toward Health Care Career Opportunities
A Wharton–Netter Center Collaboration Uses Experiential Learning to Build a Health Care Workforce Pipeline
Funding “Rural Health Care Transformation” Without Shoring Up Failing Hospitals
The Odd Paradox of the Big Beautiful Bill’s Health Care Goals
The Hidden Payment Gap That Shapes Who Gets a Doctor’s Visit
Lower Pay for Black and Hispanic Patients Drives Unequal Access to Care