(NewsNation) — Venezuelans worldwide took to the streets over the weekend to celebrate the capture of ousted President Nicolás Maduro.
Jorge Jraissati, a Venezuelan native and president of Economic Inclusion Group, said Maudro’s arrest is a sign of hope.
“Four years of hyperinflation, this is what Venezuelans have been living with for the past two decades,” he told “Morning in America” on Monday. “So, when they see Maduro, the man responsible for this crisis, is now in a New York jail, for many, there are signs of hope and optimism for the future.”
Jraissati said that to achieve economic freedom, Venezuela must implement reforms, including free markets and sound monetary policy.
“We need security to safeguard all the investments being done in Venezuela, to safeguard all the personnel, to safeguard the reformers in the future,” he said. “We need free markets, we need free trade, we need a sound monetary policy. We cannot live in a context of hyperinflation anymore.”
Though many have celebrated Maduro’s arrest, some are calling his capture illegal and say they don’t want another war. However, some argue that while they don’t like how it happened, Maduro’s ouster is ultimately a good thing.
“My family is celebrating today. And the multiple truths that can be held at the same time are that this was something that was done without congressional approval, that for many of us can also be seen as an illegal breach of international law,” said Betty Alzamora, a Venezuelan native living in Chicago.
Maduro was captured by U.S. forces on Saturday at the direction of President Donald Trump. Authorities said the U.S. military first conducted strikes on the capital city of Caracas before taking Maduro into custody, transporting him to New York City.
Maduro faces four counts of narcoterrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.