Family members of one the five Citgo detainees gathered in Washington, D.C., Wednesday for a rally and pleaded for President Joe Biden’s administration and federal elected leaders to bring home the dozens of Americans who are wrongfully imprisoned.

The event was a launch of the Bring Our Families Home Campaign. It seeks to bring home 55 Americans being held hostage or wrongfully detained in 18 foreign countries. The group known as the Citgo 6 were imprisoned in Venezuela since taking an emergency trip there just before Thanksgiving 2017. Gustavo Cardenas, Citgo’s vice president of shareholder relations, government and public affairs, is the only one who has been released, which happened in March.

Alexandra Zambrano-Forseth, the daughter of Alirio Zambrano, is a coordinator for the Bring Our Families Home Campaign. Alirio was the vice president and general manager of the Citgo refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas, at the time of his arrest.

Zambrano-Foresth spoke of a pattern of indecision from the federal administration in bringing their loved ones home.

“We’re running into the same roadblocks; it doesn’t matter if they’re (detained) in Iran, Russia, China, Venezuela,” she said. “We come back from our meetings in (Washington) D.C. crying on planes. We end up figuring out the same thing. We have to get to President Biden.”

Zambrano-Foresth said there was an initial sense of joy and relief upon Cardenas’ release. Unfortunately, nothing has happened since.

“Did we use all of the capital to get Gustavo home,” she asked. “Who’s going to be left behind?”

Mickey Hill, who is married to Zambrano-Forseth’s sister, Gabriela Zambrano-Hill, said their two daughters, ages 1 and 2, have yet to see Alirio because of his imprisonment. He said President Biden needs to put “patriotism over politics.” He mentioned the recent prisoner swap that led to the release of former Marine Trevor Reed, who had been detained in Russia since August 2019.

“This has gone on long enough,” Hill said. “The White House has had enough time to put a plan together for multiple administrations. It’s time to start getting some results.”

Zambrano-Hill was unable to attend the rally, but spoke to the American Press about her 58-year-old father’s condition. Through creative means of communication, she said they have learned that Alirio constantly struggles to be provided water and basic human rights.

“We don’t know the last time he got to go outside,” she said. “He’s struggling, but he is as strong as he always is because he knows we’re fighting.”

Zambrano-Hill said she hopes Wednesday’s rally will get the attention of President Biden’s administration and produce real results.

“Bringing these families together with one voice is stronger than what we could do alone,” she said. “We’re advocating for our fathers, husbands, sons, our entire worlds. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

Also imprisoned are Zambrano’s brother, Jose Luis Zambrano, vice president of shared services; Tomeu Vadell, vice president of refining and former general manager of the Lake Charles refinery; Jorge Toledo, vice president of supply and marketing; and Citgo’s President Jose Angel Pereira.

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Online: bringourfamilieshome.org