The families of Americans who are wrongfully detained are very much done being quiet

Alexandra Forseth (left) and Gabriela Zambrano Hill stand in front of a mural of their father, Alirio Jose Zambrano, at an event hosted by the Bring Our Families Home Campaign in Washington, D.C., on July 20. The State Department says both their father and an uncle, Jose Luis Zambrano, are wrongfully detained in Venezuela. (Shuran Huang for NPR)

There's a smile that comes to Alexandra Forseth's face when you ask her about her dad, Alirio Jose Zambrano. It will soon be five years since they last saw one another, but when she talks about him, it's the little things she brings up — like the furniture from Ikea.

"Anyone [who] knows my dad, it's like you can't find anyone more annoying about following the rules," she says. "He's an engineer to the T, and it's just like, oh my gosh. He's the guy that you get the Ikea set and it's like, you better not freaking start until all the pieces are counted."