On July 14, 2011, the then governor of Nuevo León, Rodrigo Medina de la Cruz, announced the start of the construction of the Social Reintegration Center (Cereso) in the north of the state. Initially conceived as a new penitentiary model, the project, popularly known as the Mina Prison, was never completed and has been forgotten for 10 years.
The initial investment of 100 million pesos was allocated for this penitentiary center, which was projected to accommodate 2,300 inmates, in order to address the problem of overcrowding in other prisons in Nuevo León. Although 430 million pesos had been invested in the initial stages, which included access, perimeter walls, lighting, and basic services such as water and drainage, the project was halted.
Located on 359 hectares in Ejido California, kilometer 45 of the road to Monclova, Coahuila, construction was abandoned in 2012 due to a lack of federal funding. In January 2017, Governor Jaime Rodríguez Calderón promised to reactivate the project starting in 2018 with a budget of 300 million pesos, but three years later, he classified the project as poorly planned and costly.
The Congress of Nuevo León urged the governor to secure resources to complete the penitentiary center, and Deputy Gabriel Cantú demanded that the promises be fulfilled. Authorities in Mina revealed they were not informed about the construction process, while the PAN gubernatorial candidate, Felipe de Jesús Cantú, committed 100% to finishing the project with state resources.
Despite having considered converting the installation into a shelter for migrants, the Social Reintegration Center of Mina remains abandoned amidst rubble and weeds, representing a broken promise and a failed project in Nuevo León.