Cross border immigration or refugees?

[Iracundus]

Specifically I am thinking about the Solomani Rim post Rim War.

How easy or difficult would it be for people to cross the border and try to become a citizen of the other polity? We know there was trade despite the cold war situation and that there were guerrillas smuggled in both directions. However the crew of such trading ships would presumably retain their original status as members of the Imperium or Confederation. What about an individual ordinary passenger hopping aboard a ship that crosses the border?

Could they then seek asylum pleading political or racial oppression, or simply seek immigration because they identify with the cause of the Confederation or Imperium? I'm sure SolSec might have an interest in at least a preliminary interrogation of anyone wanting to come into the Confederation, but assuming they are average ordinary people, how hard would it be for them to get a visa or residency in the Confederation? What about full citizenship if they are Solomani background? How about vice versa for non-Solomani crossing into the Imperium? Would there be a mandatory re-education phase like what North Korean defectors to South Korea have to go through before they are let loose into society?

Tied to this I suppose is the issue of just how porous is the border between the two powers? Mountains of red tape and incredible levels of inspection and security checks?

 

[Whipsnade]

Tied to this I suppose is the issue of just how porous is the border between the two powers? Mountains of red tape and incredible levels of inspection and security checks?

The answer is, as always in Traveller, it depends. Just how easy or hard will depend on the time and place.

In the Classic Era the border or, more correctly, the ceasefire line doesn't seem to be heavily militarized. The PCs in Signal GK cross twice with the help of "forged papers". In DGP's "Grand Tour" the PCs travel through the Magyar Sector as imperial knights aboard an IISS courier albeit escorting a Sollie ambassador.

As for immigration and refugees, any answer on the Imperial side and, to a lesser extent, the Confederation side will be complicated by individual details surrounding xtrality and planetary sovereignty. While immigrants and refugees are propaganda coups for both sides, resettling them is the real issue. In theory planetary governments in the Imperium fully control their borders while in practice they control them often enough. While the Confederation takes a more active role vis a vis planetary governments, it too must take into account local opinions.

So again, the answer regarding immigrants and refugees is it depends. For example, Scandia is a border world under Imperial military control. The Imperium might resettle immigrants and refugees there because it can do so against local wishes, it may only resettle certain amounts due to local opinion, or it may not allow any resettlement fearing fifth columnists or upsetting the locals.

 

[Enoki]

The big "it depends" would hinge on several factors:

1. How available a means of friendly support existed for immigrants. They'd need something in place that let them get jobs, get "papers," and other essentials to function where they are.

2. How easily they can blend in with the locals. The easier it is to adapt to local culture, language, and such the easier it is for an immigrant to do this. If it's difficult to do it makes picking out those who are easier for authorities and locals.

3. How virulent law enforcement and authorities are towards this. If you can't get any of the stuff in 1 legally, that makes doing it harder. If the authorities are actively trying to find, arrest, and deport illegals it's harder to do.

 

[Iracundus]

Well the specific situation right now is there is a player character in a free trader/smuggling campaign born on the Imperium side of the ceasefire line, but of pure Solomani background. He's been slapped with a smuggling fine and deciding he has no future in the Imperium, has secured himself middle passage to the Confederation. He's got maybe 20,000 Credits to his name after everything.

The plan is he will sign on and be part of the free trader crew (who are all of Solomani Confederation background, though not all are pure Solomani). The character is not necessarily a hardline Solomani Cause supporter, but unless he can get Confederation papers, he'd be the odd one out. Does the Confederation issue long stay visas? I suppose there are more open worlds like Sequoyah where anyone staying more than a week is considered a "citizen".

 

[kilemall]

Wasn't there that OTU duopoly Solar Shipping?

Ah there we go, Solar Shipping and Solomani Shipping.

http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Solar_Shipping

http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Solomani_Shipping

They could be background, patrons or rivals.

 

[flykiller]

Does the Confederation issue long stay visas?

entirely up to you as the referee.

I would imagine vast regions really don't care very much about the imperial/solomani divide, and just carry on as they always have. "what have terran/vilani laws to do with us?"

 

[Iracundus]

entirely up to you as the referee.

I would imagine vast regions really don't care very much about the imperial/solomani divide, and just carry on as they always have. "what have terran/vilani laws to do with us?"

That may be true of the more remote or low population worlds, though this campaign is more likely to be bouncing around the big worlds on both sides of the border, where authorities would have a bigger presence.

Hmm now we can add immigration control in space to accountants in space.

 

[Timerover51]

In my Traveller Universe, the border between the Solomani Sphere and the Imperium if quite porous in the direction of leaving the Imperium area, and heading further out towards the Rim. When I say further out, I am talking a sector or two further out.

 

[Whipsnade]

Well the specific situation...

Any specific answers to the situation described depend entirely on you as the referee. Visas, papers, immigration, official harassment, you can make it all easy, hard, or anything in between depending on the needs of the campaign.

As a referee, I encouraged my players to have "side" goals and desires for their characters. I've written about one player in my Active Duty IISS campaign "tuft hunting" for a knighthood. If I had a character like the one you described in a campaign, I'd gleefully use that PC's need for papers as a ready made hook.

For example, their work visa would require renewal every so often, visa and immigration paperwork would have to be filed at certain systems, references/testimonials would be needed, officials would help in return for certain "help", and so forth.

(Ninja'd by Fly.)

 

[flykiller]

this campaign is more likely to be bouncing around the big worlds on both sides of the border, where authorities would have a bigger presence.

another big presence around those big worlds would be the big worlds themselves. seeing how the imperium achieved its goal but has been fought to a standstill, lots of major worlds may be weighing their options, or just charting their political course right up the middle between the two. not to mention all the individual actors on those worlds.

(your answer was more useful.)