 On 18 February 2019, Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, signed a declaration closing the federal prison on the Islas Marías, saying he wanted to promote "more schools and fewer prisons".The prison has had at least 76 escapes in the last 25 years of which 29 took place in 1986 alone.According to newspaper reports the causes are minimum vigilance, shortage of guards and equipment.