A female president leads Mexican independence celebrations for the first time

MEXICO CITY (AP) — President Claudia Sheinbaum became the first female leader to preside over Mexico’s independence celebrations in 215 years, with a message that she won’t accept foreign intervention, a significant statement as she negotiates pressure from the United States.

Sheinbaum led a traditional ceremony from the balcony of the National Palace in Mexico City known as the “grito,” or “shout” in English, Monday night. It’s an annual tradition when on Sept. 15, the president rings a bell marking the call to arms during the 1810-1821 fight to win independence from Spain.

Independence Day is formally celebrated Sept. 16, but the “grito” ceremony has been performed the night before for over a century.

A traditional military parade followed Tuesday, and Sheinbaum reiterated that “No foreign power makes decisions for us.”

In a speech before her Cabinet and thousands of soldiers, Sheinbaum added that “no interference is possible in our homeland” and although she didn’t mention any particular country, her words come at a moment when the U.S government has asked Mexico to do more to crack down on drug cartels and strengthen border security.

U.S. President Donald Trump ’s administration has even offered to send U.S. troops to fight cartels, some of them declared as terrorist organizations by his government, but Sheinbaum has repeatedly rejected it.

Her administration has been more aggressive in pursuing the cartels than her predecessor, handing over dozens of cartel figures to American authorities and pointing to lower fentanyl seizures at the U.S. border. But Sheinbaum insists that the actions have been carried out because they’re good for Mexico, not because of U.S. pressure.

Sheinbaum took power in October as Mexico’s first female president.