Mexican governor and wife slammed for 'adopting' 5-month-old for a weekend to make money
Samuel Garcia, governor of the Northeastern state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, and his influencer wife Mariana Rodriguez are under investigation by authorities for allegedly using a sick five-month-old as a marketing gimmick to make money from Instagram. The couple apparently received some special permission to take the little boy home for the weekend from the state-run shelter where he resides.
The couple got this permit on Saturday, January 15, in addition to a temporary guardianship consent for the five-month-old boy. Rodriguez undeniably is involved with children's rights issues. She was often seen visiting the boy, and naturally developed a strong bond with him over several weeks.
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The boy is diagnosed with a rare disease since birth called schizencephaly. With this, slits or clefts are produced in the hemisphere of the brain and this five-month-old also suffers from seizures. Because the couple lacks the required training, they were unable to apply for foster care, as stated by the 25-year old model Rodriguez. On the other hand, the couple was slammed by authorities and human rights groups as they were accused of using the baby as a way to give free publicity and promote private companies in addition to the governor's political party.
Many images have been posted by the couple with the toddler. In one of the posts, Garcia is seen holding the baby and they are dressed in jerseys of the Mexican soccer club Tigres UNAL. In another, he is spotted wearing branded activewear, standing next to his wife who is holding the baby. In a different post, Rodriguez is seen napping with the five-month-old. The influencer/model who has over 2 million followers on Instagram received backlash for the video she posted of the boy on her story.
In a statement issued by the National System for Integral Family Development on Tuesday, January 18, they said, "By showing the face of the five-month-old child in a video on the social networks of the aforementioned couple and after it was replicated by some media outlets, in addition to revealing his name and the health problems he faces, there is a clear violation of right."
As a reply to this, Rodriguez said that over 400 families have come forward and shown interest in becoming foster parents. She also said, "t's over. It was an incredible experience this weekend. Oh, the connection I have with Emilio, I really cried right now at the (Integral Family Development center). Thank you all for the messages this weekend. To the people who thought differently, I wish you to open your heart to help. I am going to dedicate my life to that, to help selflessly. So I hope all of you do away with your opinion. Help. Help the one next to you, the one in front of you. Really, sometimes just asking them if they are okay, if they need something is enough to have a chance to help."