Dominican consular service faces criticism over prisoner assistance and party pension disputes in New York

Dominican officials and party members have raised serious complaints about the conduct of the Dominican consulate in New York. Party leaders of the Partido Revolucionario Moderno (PRM) have nicknamed Consul Jesús Vásquez Martínez “the San Zenón cyclone,” accusing him of reducing weekly pension payments for party activists from about $2,000 to $800 and favoring relatives and allies for benefits. They demand an investigation by President Luis Abinader and PRM president José Ignacio Paliza.

At the same time, Dominican diaspora advocates argue that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides little or no consular assistance to Dominican nationals detained abroad in places such as New York, Madrid or Buenos Aires. Critics cite delays, lack of legal guidance, and the absence of a 24‑hour emergency line, contrasting the Dominican system with more robust programs in Mexico, Colombia and El Salvador. They call for mandatory protocols, public lawyer lists and a legal assistance fund.

Both issues highlight broader concerns about how the Dominican government supports its overseas citizens and manages party affairs from abroad.