American government includes PCC and Red Command on global terrorism list with severe sanctions

Departamento of Estado of Estados Unidos announced the official classification of the Brazilian factions Primeiro Comando of Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (CV) as terrorist organizations. The immediate measure places the groups in the Terroristas Globais Especialmente Designados category, with their definitive inclusion in the Organizações Terroristas Estrangeiras list scheduled for June 5th. The decision establishes a new level in the legal and diplomatic treatment given to South American criminals by the North American government.

The determination is part of an offensive by the Donald Trump administration against transnational organized crime. The new designation allows the Estados Unidos government to apply direct economic sanctions, freeze financial assets and impose severe restrictions on any individual or company that provides material support to Brazilian factions. The movement seeks to stifle the logistical and financial structure that supports the international operations of the two largest Brasil criminal groups.

Tramitação on American Congresso and legal procedures

The formalization of the measure requires compliance with institutional protocols in Washington. Congresso of Estados Unidos receives an official notification and has a statutory period of seven days to analyze the decision of Departamento of Estado. The legislative process functions as a mandatory review stage. Parliamentarians, however, have limited mechanisms to reverse the Poder Executivo determination in national security cases.

The current political scenario in Washington favors unhindered approval. With the majority of Partido Republicano in both Câmara of Representantes and Senado, the expectation of political analysts is that full implementation of the measure will occur without significant resistance. The joint action also involves Departamento of Tesouro, which starts to monitor and track the financial flow linked to criminals in global banks.

The classification process follows strict criteria established by American legislation. Para For a group to receive the designation, it must be foreign. The organization must also be involved in terrorist activities or demonstrate a clear capacity to do so. The third requirement requires that the group pose a direct threat to the national security of Estados Unidos or to American citizens around the world.

Articulação Washington policy and justification

The inclusion of the factions on the terrorism list occurred amid dialogues between Brazilian senator Flávio Bolsonaro and high-ranking Estados Unidos authorities. The talks involved President Donald Trump and Estado Secretary Marco Rubio. The American government used intelligence reports to support the decision, describing Primeiro Comando, Capital and Comando Vermelho as extremely violent organizations responsible for attacks against police officers and civilians.

Marco Rubio publicly defended the new classification and argued that the factions’ influence considerably extends beyond Brasil’s borders. The secretary of Estado highlighted that criminal groups already reach other countries in the region and operate within Estados Unidos’s own territory. The Donald Trump administration plans to use all legal tools available to disrupt the financing of so-called narco-terrorists, cutting off access to the formal financial system.

The presence of Primeiro Comando of Capital on American soil strongly influenced the assessment of Washington. Federal Investigações identified members of the faction operating in states as Flórida, Nova York, Nova Jersey, Connecticut and Tennessee. Em Massachusetts, federal prosecutors have already announced formal charges against 18 Brazilians for alleged links with the criminal group. The faction currently operates in around 30 countries and has more than 40 thousand registered members.

Reação from the Lula government and diplomatic disagreements

President Lula’s government acted behind the scenes diplomatically to try to prevent Estados Unidos from moving forward with the measure. Planalto’s internal assessment on Palácio indicated that classifying the factions as terrorist groups could set precedents for harsher, more unilateral actions by Americans in the future. Integrantes of the Brazilian government expressed concern about the possibility of the Estados Unidos using the argument to justify military operations in the Brasil, something that has already occurred in other Latin American nations.

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Washington’s final decision generated immediate diplomatic discomfort. The Brazilian government did not receive advance information about the official announcement, according to journalist Guilherme Balza. Especialistas in public security and Brasil also question the need for the American measure. Analysts argue that national legislation already has rigorous mechanisms to combat organized crime, with penalties many times higher than those of the Brazilian anti-terrorism law in force.

The debate over nomenclature is not new between the two countries. In May 2025, David Gamble, acting head of coordination for Departamento of Sanções of Estados Unidos, formally requested Brasil to classify Capital’s Primeiro Comando and Comando Vermelho as terrorists. The request ended up being denied by Segurança Pública’s national secretary, Mario Sarrubbo. The secretary justified that the factions do not fit the Brazilian constitutional definition of terrorism, as they act motivated by financial profit and not by political or religious ideologies.

Diferenças on the sanctions and practical impacts of the measure

The framework made by Estados Unidos is divided into two distinct categories, with specific functions and legal implications. The designation of Organizações Terroristas Estrangeiras is the sole prerogative of the Secretary of Estado and applies only to non-U.S. groups. Essa classification creates a solid legal basis for investigations and direct criminal prosecutions against the entity in the Estados Unidos federal justice system.

The second category, Terroristas Globais Especialmente Designados, has shared management between Departamento of Estado and Departamento of Tesouro. Diferente from the first list, this one can target both entire organizations and specific individuals. The main focus is on the financial dimension, with the aim of decapitalizing criminal operations on a global scale and preventing the use of hard currencies.

The publication of the measure in the official record of the American government triggers a series of immediate legal consequences for those targeted by the sanction. The main restrictions imposed by Estados Unidos authorities include:

• Criminalização of material support, making it a federal crime to provide money, training, weapons or any type of service to groups.
• Bloqueio immediate removal of financial assets and complete ban on banking transactions related to the designated factions.
• Restrições severe immigration measures, with the denial of visas and the summary deportation of members identified in American territory.

Washington’s core strategy is to isolate Primeiro Comando from Capital and Comando Vermelho from the international financial system. Blocking accounts and banning business with American companies create significant barriers to money laundering and weapons purchases. The measure requires global banks to end any commercial relationship with individuals linked to the factions, under penalty of suffering billion-dollar fines from the Estados Unidos government and losing access to the North American market.