# Brazil-US dispute over criminal faction designations > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/brazil-us-dispute-over-criminal-faction-designations > Updated: 2026-09-23T21:27:10.000Z. Sources: 6. Developments: 2. Brazilian leadership has pushed back against international efforts to classify domestic criminal organizations as terrorist groups. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s classification of factions such as the PCC and CV as terrorist organizations, arguing that the term should instead refer to ‘state terrorism.’ Lula also highlighted the need for increased surveillance in Brazil’s equatorial and pre-salt regions due to international interest in critical minerals and oil. Following these remarks, Brazil’s Minister of Justice and Public Security, Wellington César Lima e Silva, downplayed the impact of the Escudo das Américas alliance supporting the U.S. designation of these groups as narcoterrorists. Lima e Silva stated that technical labels are secondary to the public demand for effective crime responses, noting that Brazil’s existing Anti-Faction Law provides more rigorous mechanisms for combating organized crime than the Antiterrorism Law. ## Timeline ### 2026-09-23: Brazil Justice Minister downplays narcoterrorist labels for criminal factions Brazil's Justice Minister Wellington Lima e Silva called the international labeling of criminal factions as narcoterrorists a secondary debate, prioritizing effective action over technical designations. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/brazil-justice-minister-downplays-narcoterrorist-labels-for-criminal-factions ### 2026-09-19: Lula rejects Trump's terrorism label for Brazilian criminal factions President Lula rejected Donald Trump's classification of Brazilian criminal factions as terrorists and called for increased security and resource protection in Rio de Janeiro and offshore oil regions. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/lula-rejects-trumps-terrorism-label-for-brazilian-criminal-factions --- Cite as: Brazil-US dispute over criminal faction designations. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/brazil-us-dispute-over-criminal-faction-designations