(…) Most sources indicate that the governments of Peru, Brazil and Chile have come to a solution for the so-called "Nomad Problem." In an attempt to prevent the illegal, transnational movement and (typically temporary) settlement of nomad clans across the South American continent, they plan to seal all borders to "undocumented persons of dubious origin." Protestations from scholars, human rights groups and even corporate representatives have thus far been ignored. Some corporations have voiced concerns that stifling the flow of migrant work could lead to economic decline and unpredictable social unrest. For example, some experts predict the local Brazilian workforce will simply be too small to meet the employment demands of ongoing major agrocorp ventures.
This push for tightened anti-nomad immigration policies comes as yet another heavy blow from South American governments against an already heavily targeted demographic. More information continues to surface about the so-called Long Return, where hundreds of thousands of nomads lost their jobs without warning and had their equipment (much of it personal, not company, property) illegally seized by government authorities. Most laborers were relocated from North America specifically for this work and, without corporate support, were forced to vacate the hazardous area formerly home to the Amazon rainforest in a week's time. With their only lifeline suddenly severed and no legal basis for staying, many dozens of thousands attempted to find a way home, even if that mean walking much of that distance.
Initial reports show staggering figures for the number who died during this mass exodus. Many still ask "Why?" Who benefits from these anti-nomad policies and border closures if not the South American nations or corporations? Many speculate that lobbyists from Orbital Air and other lunar colony representatives played a key part. Their objective, some allege, is to limit opportunities for migrant contract work so more will be forced for the sake of survival to accept employment in the notoriously difficult labor conditions of low Earth orbit and on the Moon.
