Brazil Rejects U.S. Bid to Label Brazilian Gangs as Terrorists

The Brazilian government declined the U.S. State Department's request to designate Brazilian gangs PCC and CV as terrorist organizations. While the U.S. believes these gangs have a presence in the U.S., Brazilian law doesn't classify them as terrorists. The U.S. aims to address immigration issues with this strategy.

The Brazilian government has turned down a request from the U.S. State Department to classify two prominent Brazilian criminal gangs, Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (CV), as terrorist organizations. This decision was revealed by Brazil's national secretary of public security, Mario Sarrubo, on Wednesday.

The request was presented on Tuesday during a meeting in Brasilia attended by David Gamble, head of the sanctions strategy for the U.S. State Department, along with six other officials from President Donald Trump's administration and eight Brazilian officials. The U.S. is concerned these gangs exert influence in multiple U.S. states.

The U.S. classified several Latin American cartels as terrorists earlier, a move tied to President Trump's immigration policies. However, Sarrubo, who was not present at the meeting, emphasized that Brazilian law only considers organizations engaging in violent conflict with the government for specific ideological reasons as terrorists.