NEW YORK.— There is a Dominican Republic that begins long before reaching the country’s borders. It can be found on the streets of New York, in businesses built through years of hard work, in families that preserve their traditions, and in a community that, despite living thousands of miles from the island, continues to look toward home.
It was to that other part of the country that a delegation from the Dominican Republic’s Chamber of Deputies traveled. The visit was about more than fulfilling an official agenda in the United States. The lawmakers sought to engage with a community that for decades has maintained strong ties to the Dominican Republic and that also expects its voice to be heard by the country’s institutions.
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The delegation, led by Deputy José Arias Valenzuela, who represents Valverde province, met with the Dominican Republic’s consul general in New York, Jesús “Chu” Vásquez Martínez. Valenzuela was joined by Deputies Juana Castillo, representing Santiago Rodríguez, and Johanny Martínez, representing Montecristi. The lawmakers were introduced by community leader José Torres, known as “Bigote.”
Inside the Dominican Consulate, the diaspora was at the center of the conversation. They discussed the needs of Dominicans living abroad, institutional cooperation and ways to narrow a distance that cannot always be measured in miles: the gap that can sometimes exist between Dominicans living overseas and the institutions making decisions in their homeland.
That is precisely one of the purposes behind the lawmakers’ tour of several U.S. cities. The delegation is seeking to hear directly from Dominicans living abroad and to create opportunities for cooperation among the National Congress, Dominican communities and the country’s diplomatic and consular missions.
New York carries particular significance on that journey. Generations of Dominicans have built one of the largest and most visible communities outside the Dominican Republic there. Arias Valenzuela highlighted that presence, noting that the community’s contributions can be seen in its daily work, businesses, cuisine, culture and the tradition of solidarity that defines many Dominican community organizations.
But the journey did not end in New York.
In Boston, Massachusetts, the visit took on a different meaning for the Valverde lawmaker. The Boston City Council presented Arias Valenzuela with a recognition honoring his career and contributions to public service.
Arias Valenzuela expressed special gratitude to City Councilor Julia Mejía and her team, including Griselda and Scarlet Durán, for the hospitality and warm reception extended to the Dominican delegation.
The recognition, the lawmaker said, is an encouragement to continue working on behalf of Valverde province and the Dominican Republic. It also reflects something that runs through the entire U.S. visit: the importance of keeping open the bridges between Dominican institutions and a diaspora that has built its life far from the island without ceasing to be part of it.
For thousands of Dominicans living in cities such as New York and Boston, distance has never meant severing ties with their homeland. And for those traveling from the National Congress to meet them, the challenge will be ensuring that this outreach does not end when the visit is over, but instead becomes part of a closer and more lasting institutional relationship.
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