Independence Day military parade a 'proud' moment for Mexicans

Mexico’s Independence Day parade had even more of a militaristic air this year coming just days after the relatively new National Guard was passed completely to the command of the military.

The grey-camouflaged National Guard troops were a heavy presence in the display in central Mexico City. With the guard’s recent transfer and a push to extend permission for Mexico’s military to remain in a policing role through 2028, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has concentrated his domestic security strategy on the country’s soldiers and marines.

Standing before rows of thousands of troops, López Obrador thanked the navy and army for their loyalty and affirmed that the National Guard will have a mission of “guaranteeing public safety with efficiency and respect for human rights.”

Sandoval appeared to be pushing back against criticism from within Mexico and abroad that López Obrador has given too much power and responsibility to the military and given up on professionalising the country’s civilian police.

López Obrador has said repeatedly that he views the military as the least corrupt security institution and the only one up for the job. His administration has struggled to lower persistently high levels of violence, most of it related to the country’s powerful drug cartels.

Opposition politicians and civil society organisations have said they will go to court to challenge the transfer of the National Guard's control.