Sheinbaum Leads Independence Parade, Vows Mexico Will Never Be a Colony

President Claudia Sheinbaum presided over the civic-military parade in Mexico City's Zócalo on September 16, commemorating the 216th anniversary of the start of the independence movement. She declared that Mexico will never be a colony or protectorate of any nation, emphasizing that the country does not kneel, yield, or sell itself.

The ceremony featured approximately 16,000 armed forces personnel, over 500 vehicles and aircraft, and a parachute jump by 15 paratroopers from a National Guard helicopter. Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla Trejo and Navy Secretary Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles highlighted their institutions' roles in protecting sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“Mexico will never be a colony or protectorate of anyone. Mexico does not yield, does not kneel, and Mexico is never for sale.”

During the traditional Grito ceremony the previous night, Sheinbaum honored independence heroes including Miguel Hidalgo, Josefa Ortiz Téllez-Girón, and Vicente Guerrero. She added insurgent Antonia Nava, known as 'La Generala,' and Afro-Mexican peoples to the roll call, while omitting Ignacio Allende and Manuela Molina, whom she had mentioned in 2025.

The president linked the 1810 uprising to current pressures from the United States on security, migration, and trade, including the upcoming USMCA review. She framed independence as a popular cause rooted in Indigenous resistance, contrasting it with elite-led movements elsewhere in Latin America.

U.S. Border Patrol data cited in reports shows migrant encounters at the Mexico-U.S. border dropped over 84% between 2024 and fiscal year 2025, falling from more than 1.5 million to 237,538. Sheinbaum's praise for migrants contrasts with her administration's containment policies.