The ?De Buena Tinta? column in the Diario Libre has learned that Dominican consulates in many cities in the United States will be closed by the Department of State because they are operating without proper accreditation. According to the news, offices in Houston, Boston, San Francisco, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Juneau, and a city in Alabama will be affected. Columnist Adriano Miguel Tejada says their source reported that the investigation into the Dominican consulates began in Juneau and finished with the recent scandals in Boston. According to those questioned, the problems with the consulates are longstanding and originate from the need to create offices to satisfy pressures from Dominican population centers in the US.
A particular problem is that US regulations do not allow a Dominican resident in the United States to be accredited as a consul or diplomat. A large number of the staff at the consulates is made up of Dominican residents or Dominican-American citizens. Tejada points out that while the consulates are necessary, the methods used to create them were improper, and recommends that these things be negotiated.