ATLANTA, Georgia.— For years, carrying out a consular procedure meant that many Dominicans living in Georgia had to travel outside the state or rely on a distant diplomatic jurisdiction.
That reality is beginning to change.
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President Luis Abinader appointed Rosa Yanina Torres Tamares as the new consul general of the Dominican Republic in Georgia, a decision made ahead of the opening of a consular office in Gwinnett County, one of the areas with the fastest-growing immigrant populations in metropolitan Atlanta.
Torres Tamares is not entirely unknown in Georgia.
Before her appointment, she took part in business and diplomatic activities in Atlanta, where she promoted ties among entrepreneurs, authorities and Dominican representatives. At one of those meetings, she presented the Dominican Republic’s commercial opportunities and advocated a closer economic relationship with the state.
The opening of the consulate represents much more than a new office.
For the Dominican community, it means closer access to passports, powers of attorney, civil records, consular guidance and other services that are part of the everyday lives of people who maintain family, legal or economic ties with the Dominican Republic.
It also means presence.
Georgia has become one of the states where Latino communities have gained greater demographic and economic weight over the past several decades. Within that transformation, Dominicans have built businesses, families and community organizations, especially around Atlanta and Gwinnett.
The new consular representation seeks to accompany that growth.
Torres Tamares has also focused attention on trade between Georgia and the Dominican Republic. At activities held in the state, she has highlighted the advantages of the DR-CAFTA agreement, the Dominican Republic’s logistics infrastructure and the possibility of expanding exchanges in manufacturing, food, agriculture and services.
That economic component makes the new consulate an institution with two doors. One looks toward Dominicans who need services and representation. The other points toward companies, investors and U.S. authorities interested in strengthening business ties with the Dominican Republic.
The official opening is scheduled for this fall in Gwinnett County.
When the doors finally open, the change will be simple but important: for thousands of Dominicans in Georgia, their country will be a little closer.
And for a diaspora that for years had to travel to resolve basic matters, seeing the Dominican flag flying from a consular office in Georgia will also be a sign of recognition.
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