US to Designate Two Major Brazilian Crime Gangs as Terrorist Organizations

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on May 28 that Washington will formally designate Brazil’s two largest crime syndicates—Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho—as “foreign terrorist organizations,” effective June 5. In the interim, the groups have been placed on the “specially designated global terrorists” list under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

Both designations freeze the gangs’ assets in the United States, but the “foreign terrorist” label is considered more stringent. Rubio asserted the measures are necessary to ensure the safety of American citizens, emphasizing that the Trump administration “will continue to use every tool to keep drugs off our streets and cut off the revenue of violent drug traffickers.”

Since returning to the White House for a second term, President Trump has sought to brand numerous Latin American criminal gangs as “terrorists.” Critics argue this serves as a pretext to expand U.S. military influence in the Western Hemisphere, echoing the “Donroe Doctrine”—a variant of the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine.

The decision sent shockwaves through Brazil’s political landscape, where a hotly contested presidential election is underway. Leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has repeatedly tried to persuade the Trump administration to reverse the move, fearing the “terrorist” label could be used to penalize any organization that interacts with these gangs, including banks and extortion victims. Lula also warned of the risk of foreign intervention in Latin America, particularly after the U.S. abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.

On the other side, Lula’s main opponent in the October race—right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro—maintains close ties with the U.S. administration. Bolsonaro met with Trump at the White House earlier this week and said he actively lobbied for the gangs to be listed as terrorist groups. Trump previously intervened in Brazilian politics to support the Bolsonaro family, such as raising tariffs on Brazil to nearly 50% in support of former President Jair Bolsonaro (Flavio’s father), who is serving a 27-year sentence for attempting to overthrow democracy after his 2022 defeat.

Public security is a heated issue in the race, where polls show Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro running neck-and-neck. Recent clashes between police and crime gangs like Comando Vermelho have heightened concerns. In October last year, a raid in Rio de Janeiro left more than 120 dead; in March this year, another operation killed eight people. Critics argue that decades of militarized confrontations have only fueled violence and human rights abuses.

In response, Lula launched a $2 billion initiative in March to attack the financial foundations of crime gangs, improve the prison system, and bolster murder investigations. Foreign policy advisor Celso Amorim warned the U.S. not to exploit the “terrorist” label to infringe on Brazil’s sovereignty, stating, “international cooperation is welcome, but any pretext for intervention is unacceptable.”