With full knowledge of the foreordained risk, opposition leader Juan Guaidó has made his public of his return to Venezuela after a ten-day tactical retreat, a purposeful tour of Latin America, garnering international support to his cause.

Guaidó returned Monday and was met instantaneously by cheers from his supporters. There was a collective trepidation among his base, the prospect that Guaidó might have been detained on arrival.

This fear is well-warranted as the sitting president Nicolás Maduro had ominously threatened that the opposition leader would “face justice” if he returned to the country, a threat that was met with substantial antagonism from the United States government and Venezuelan citizens.

The U.S. has recognized Juan Guaidó as the rightful interim president of Venezuela for a considerable time. Upon Guaidó’s arrival in Caracas, Mike Pence warned that Guaidó’s “safe return to Venezuela is of the highest importance to the U.S., and “any threats, violence, or intimidation against him will not be tolerated & will be met with swift response. The world is watching.”

It is clear that, as the Venezuelan public and global forces mobilize in support of Guaidó, the Maduro administration and it’s cohorts withdraw, allowing for apertures in Maduro’s apparatus, i.e. an enemy of the state landing in the nation’s capital intact.

At Monday’s rally, Guaidó appeared secure as ever addressing his supporters but referring to the government under Maduro and it’s estimated 2 million employees.“The moment has now come to say ‘Enough.’”