My people will not be free until they are given the power to decide their own fate

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In the middle of the night on Jan. 3, my WhatsApp lit up with hundreds of messages, videos and reports describing unfolding events in Caracas and other cities throughout Venezuela. Confusion gave way to elation when the news finally broke: Nicolás Maduro was in U.S. custody.

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This is the kind of news that millions of Venezuelans have dreamed about for decades. Bill Clinton was president of the United States when their nightmare began, and until now, no foreign leader has shown the resolve or the recklessness required to act decisively, relying instead on sanctions that have failed to produce any meaningful change.

I was born and raised in Venezuela in a lower-middle-class family. My life changed shortly after I completed my engineering degree, when I was awarded a graduate fellowship sponsored by the World Bank.

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