Recent developments indicate Brazil is facing renewed pressure from the Trump administration. Washington has proposed that Brazil accept foreign prisoners captured in the US, while demanding a concrete plan to dismantle the drug gangs PCC, Comando Vermelho, alleged Hezbollah-linked networks, and Chinese criminal groups operating in Brazil. It also seeks biometric data sharing on refugees and migrants entering Brazil. These demands carry veiled threats, especially given recent US actions in Venezuela and Mexico.

Lula’s government has rejected the proposals so far, fearing that refusal could lead to the formal designation of PCC and CV as terrorist organizations. Such a label would enable extraterritorial sanctions and possible American operational involvement, thereby undermining Brazilian sovereignty.

As Folha notes, PCC and CV now operate nationwide and across Latin America, yet Brasília views them as profit-driven criminal groups, not ideological terrorists. Last year (May 2025), I argued that Washington’s push for the “terrorist” label clearly prioritizes geopolitical leverage over legal precision – mainly to justify sanctions, disrupt supply chains, and tighten immigration controls.

Again, this fits a broader neo-Monroeist pattern, that includes demands for military base access in Fernando de Noronha and Natal. One may also recall the sanctions against Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The approach combines judicial pressure, security demands, and geopolitical leverage.

The pressure arrives at a fragile moment for Brazil. The Banco........

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