--- description: The 'Jane the Virgin' actress on what needs to change when a new president is elected title: Gina Rodriguez on Immigration Reform: 'We Need to Take Action' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf955d0469d92e00a/698890c6ab6d77822d6a96fe/time-100-gala-2016-red-carpet-22.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [TIME 100](/tag/time-100/) ## TIME 100 Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Gina Rodriguez on Immigration Reform: 'We Need to Take Action'  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Apr 27, 2016 1:27 AM CUT  Gina Rodriguez at the TIME 100 gala in New York on April 26, 2016. Gina Rodriguez at the TIME 100 gala in New York on April 26, 2016.Erik Pendzich—REX/Shutterstock  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Apr 27, 2016 1:27 AM CUT [_Jane the Virgin_ ](http://www.cwtv.com/shows/jane-the-virgin/chapter-forty/?play=ca677ac2-b961-4edf-a3ce-2da722d7a454 "undefined")has dealt extensively with the issue of immigration, and its star [Gina Rodriguez](http://time.com/4302233/gina-rodriguez-2016-time-100/ "undefined") wants to shine a light on the problem of mistreatment of immigrants under our current system. During the [TIME 100 Gala](http://time.com/collection/2016-time-100/ "undefined") Tuesday, where she was honored as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by the magazine, she was asked what she thought about the debate over immigration during this presidential election season. “We need to keep families together and not in detention homes,” Rodriguez said. “The fact that it’s even called that makes you feel uncomfortable knowing that there’s no care for people as human beings.” Rodriguez is glad the issue is playing a role in the election, but she wants to make sure immigration reform promises aren’t just talk. “When it comes to the candidates, I’m very excited to see what’s going to be done,” she added. “Conversation is great, but we need to take action.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4308861/gina-rodriguez-time-100-gala-immigration/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4308861/gina-rodriguez-time-100-gala-immigration/"},"headline":"Gina Rodriguez on Immigration Reform: 'We Need to Take Action'","datePublished":"2016-04-27T01:27:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:15:08.076Z","description":"The Jane the Virgin actress on what needs to change when a new president is elected","url":"https://time.com/4308861/gina-rodriguez-time-100-gala-immigration/","keywords":["TIME 100","celebrities","TIME 100","TIME 100 Gala","time 100 pioneers"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf955d0469d92e00a/698890c6ab6d77822d6a96fe/time-100-gala-2016-red-carpet-22.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliana Dockterman","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf955d0469d92e00a/698890c6ab6d77822d6a96fe/time-100-gala-2016-red-carpet-22.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Time 100 Gala, New York, America - 26 Apr 2016","caption":"Time 100 Gala, New York, America - 26 Apr 2016","creditText":"Erik Pendzich—REX/Shutterstock","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-100/","name":"TIME 100"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4308861/gina-rodriguez-time-100-gala-immigration/","name":"Gina Rodriguez on Immigration Reform: 'We Need to Take Action'"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Time 100 Gala Highlights","description":"Watch highlights from the 2016 Time 100 Gala","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/orYjzea8/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-04-27T05:38:50.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/orYjzea8.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4308861/gina-rodriguez-time-100-gala-immigration/","duration":"PT2M28S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4308861/gina-rodriguez-time-100-gala-immigration/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```