The Donald Trump government’s discussions about designating two criminal factions in Brazil, PCC and CV, as terrorists are gaining momentum amid growing pressure from former president Jair Bolsonaro’s children on the matter, according to information from the newspaper The New York Times.
According to the publication, security has become one of the main topics under debate before the presidential race, in which Flávio Bolsonaro, one of the former president’s sons, is a pre-candidate and the American decision could contribute to the right-wing representative’s campaign against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is seeking re-election.
Sources from the US and Brazil who contributed to the report said that the Trump administration’s proposal has generated concern among employees of the PT administration due to the possibility of influencing the October election.
In recent months, the Republican administration has classified several criminal groups in the region as terrorist organizations, as they represent a direct security threat to the United States. With the designation, the White House can impose financial sanctions on associated groups or people and plan actions to protect its borders.
Recently, the White House approved a military operation to capture dictator Nicolás Maduro on drug trafficking charges and carried out several attacks in the Caribbean and Pacific against vessels transporting drugs.
The American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, announced at the beginning of the month that the country is evaluating the classification of the First Capital Command and the Red Command as terrorists and suggested that Brazil follow the same line.
Despite recent conversations on the topic with Washington, the Lula government has signaled that it has no intention of aligning itself with Trump in this regard.
