Brazil's government has warned that the United States' decision to designate two of the country's largest criminal gangs as terrorist organisations could increase the risk of military action on Brazilian territory.
In a letter sent to Congress last Wednesday and seen by AFP on Monday, Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said the move could have far-reaching consequences for Brazil's sovereignty.
The warning follows Washington's decision in late May to classify the Red Command (CV) and the First Capital Command (PCC) as terrorist organisations. The move has drawn criticism from the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during an election year.
Vieira wrote that the "unilateral classification could be invoked as justification for extraterritorial actions targeting Brazilian institutions, particularly in the financial, migration, and criminal spheres".
“There is, moreover, the risk of the use of US military force against national territory,” he added.
Announcing the designations, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the CV and PCC as "two of the most violent criminal organisations in Brazil", saying their "influence and illicit networks extend far beyond Brazil's borders, across our region and into our country."
Brazil's right-wing opposition welcomed the US decision, accusing Lula's government of taking a soft approach to organised crime ahead of the presidential election scheduled for October.
During President Donald Trump's second term, the United States has expanded its use of terrorist designations to include major drug-trafficking organisations. It has also carried out deadly strikes against some of those groups, including Venezuela's Tren de Aragua, and targeted boats it says were involved in drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Pacific, although it has not publicly provided evidence for those operations.
The diplomatic tensions come as the two countries remain at odds over trade. The Trump administration is expected to decide by 15 July whether to impose 25 per cent tariffs on a range of Brazilian products following an investigation into what it alleges are unfair trade practices. Brazil has rejected those accusations.
