The United States intends to designate Brazilian gangs PCC and Comando Vermelho as “Foreign Terrorist Organizations” from June 5, U.S. Secretary ‌of State Marco Rubio said ​on Thursday.

The Lula administration in Brazil has tried to avoid ⁠such designations because it could open ​a path for military action by the U.S. ⁠in Brazil or sanctions against banks that unknowingly do business with gang members.

While the FTO ‌designation was planned to ​take effect in June, ‌the U.S. Department of State designated the ‌gangs as “Specially Designated Global Terrorists” on Thursday, Rubio said in a statement. 

Rubio said the ⁠gangs were two ‌of the “most ⁠violent criminal organizations in Brazil” and their influence ⁠and ⁠networks extend across the region and into the United ‌States.

“The Trump Administration will continue to use all available tools to protect our nation ‌and ​our national ‌security interests by keeping illicit drugs off our streets and disrupting the revenue ​streams funding violent narco-terrorists,” Rubio said.