These verses reprise the situation Moroni described in Mormon 8:7: “And behold, the Lamanites have hunted my people, the Nephites, down from city to city and from place to place, even until they are no more; and great has been their fall; yea, great and marvelous is the destruction of my people, the Nephites.”
“My people, the Nephites,” is functionally equivalent to those who “will not deny the Christ.” These Nephites are Nephites because of their religion. After the conquest by the Gadianton-infused Lamanite army (see commentary accompanying Mormon 2:1), believers in the old Nephite religion are subversives. The definition of “Nephite” has been political since the Jacob’s day, but that political definition has always carried a religious component. Moroni emphasizes the religious component here, but historically, both religion and politics overlapped significantly. Thus, the surviving Nephites are believers in the old religion and, therefore, hold different political views. They are enemies of the state.
Of course, Moroni is incapable of denying a Messiah with whom he has had direct contact. Therefore, he cannot deny being a Nephite and remains in hiding during this last, ferocious, “mopping-up” phase. The danger he feels confirms that he is still in Mesoamerica. While the hunt for Nephites might have extended some distance from the Nephite homeland, a massive manhunt for only a few survivors over a larger region would not have been worth the expense and effort. Moroni’s life is in jeopardy should he be discovered; but the fact that he speaks the same language and looks and dresses like those around him simultaneously enhances his chances of survival.