Brazil’s leftist leader, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has condemned the US decision to designate two South American Brazilian crime networks as “terrorists”, warning that the label could be a “setback” for local law enforcement efforts.
The accusations were made public in a 435-word message posted to Lula’s social media platforms on Friday.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
In doing so, Lula drew a line between criminal acts and international terrorism, understood as the use of violence for political or social ends.
“The terror inflicted on communities by these organizations seeks to profit from crime, especially through drug and arms trafficking,” Lula wrote.
Those activities, however violent, “must not be confused with the ideologically, politically or religiously motivated actions characteristic of international terrorism,” he added.
Lula’s statement came in response to an announcement the day before by President Donald Trump’s administration.
Backlash against the ‘terrorist’ label
On Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he has designated two major Brazilian criminal organizations, Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (CV), as “Specially Designated Global Terrorists.”
He also outlined plans to add the two organizations to the list of “foreign terrorist organizations” on June 5.
Rumors have been swirling for months that the Trump administration would label the two groups “terrorists.” But Lula and his Cabinet members pushed back and urged Trump to refrain from taking action.
The “terrorist” designation freezes all U.S.-based assets associated with targeted groups, but could also be used to punish those who provide “material support or resources” to them.
Experts warn that such restrictions could affect not only financial institutions but also the victims of these groups, including businesses and individuals who could be forced to pay for extortion.
Lula has also expressed concern that the “terrorist” label could pave the way for U.S. military intervention, a concern he reiterated in Friday’s statement, although he did not explicitly name Trump.
“We remain fully prepared to develop joint solutions that are mutually beneficial to all countries involved,” Lula wrote.
“However, we will not tolerate the imposition of arbitrary measures from abroad, nor will we accept that they are used as a pretext to undermine our sovereignty or economy. Unilateral and non-negotiable measures undermine the fight against criminals and can lead to actions that endanger the lives of people who have nothing to do with crime.”
Brazil’s elections are close
Lula, a prominent left-wing leader in Latin America, is in the midst of a competitive election season as he seeks a fourth non-consecutive term as Brazil’s president.
He previously served as president from 2003 to 2011 and will be re-elected for a third term in 2022.
In that race, he defeated right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, who would later be convicted of trying to overturn the election results. Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year sentence.
Trump’s eldest son, Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, is believed to have played a role in Trump’s decision to designate him a “terrorist.” The senator is currently running against Lula in the 2026 presidential election, and the two are in a close race.
During a visit to the White House this week, Sen. Bolsonaro confirmed to reporters that he intended to seek “terrorist” designations for both Primeiro Comando da Capital and Comando Vermelho.
Trump has close ties to the Bolsonaro family and has previously intervened in elections around the world on behalf of right-wing candidates.
In a post on Friday, Lula accused Bolsonaro of using his family connections to “petition support from foreign authorities.”
“It is deplorable that members of the Bolsonaro family have once again traveled to the United States to advocate for foreign intervention in Brazil,” Lula wrote.
He pointed to allegations of trying to prevent criminal prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro. Currently, one of the former president’s sons, Eduardo Bolsonaro, is facing obstruction charges related to his efforts to lobby President Trump to intervene in the case.
President Trump ultimately cited the Bolsonaro trial as a reason to impose harsh sanctions on Brazilian products in August 2025.
Sovereignty concerns
Under the Trump administration, the United States has taken an increasingly expansionist view of the Western Hemisphere, reviving the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine, which described the Americas as Washington’s sphere of influence.
Trump himself has used the crime as a justification for taking unilateral military action in the region. Since September, the regime has carried out 59 airstrikes against suspected drug-trafficking ships in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, killing at least 196 people.
On January 3, the United States launched an early morning military operation against Venezuela, which ended in the kidnapping and imprisonment of then-President Nicolas Maduro on drug trafficking charges.
The Bolsonaro family has courted President Trump in recent months, but Lula criticized the military-led move as unfair.
However, security is expected to be a major issue in October’s presidential election. This week’s “terrorist” designation is likely to put Lula in an awkward position, forcing him to denounce the label without downplaying the extent of the violence.
Lula has sought to fend off right-wing criticism that the government is being lax on crime, pointing to the government’s recent investment of $11 billion in the Anti-Organized Crime Brazil program.
This follows another $2 billion program implemented in March to strengthen the country’s prisons, improve homicide investigations and disrupt arms trafficking and other financial transactions conducted by criminal organizations.
Still, Lula and Bolsonaro remain in a close race ahead of October’s election.
On May 16, the polling firm Dataforiha predicted that both candidates would win the support of 45% of voters in a head-to-head race, with 9% of voters casting invalid votes.
An additional 1% were identified as undecided.
