THE MIGRATORY THEME IN THE US UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW: POLITICAL OPPORTUNITY IN THE FACE OF THE HEGEMON

Abstract The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) represents an innovation in the monitoring of human rights in international level. Discussing with hypotheses about shaming, this article stands back from the division between allies and non-allies to verify, within the scope of UPR, the postulation of the interests of the countries of the so-called Northern Triangle and Mexico on the protection of immigrants in the US. From the analysis of the recommendations made to the US in the migratory field, we argue that the primary variable to determine the relational dynamics of the decision to make and follow recommendations is the stock of undocumented migrants from the recommending countries in the US. The article concludes that UPR represents more than a space to produce shaming, but a political opportunity for countries, including the less powerful ones, to publicly put their interests before the hegemonic power, which makes the recent US exit from HCR even more serious.