1

I assume your first stay in the US is less than 90 days. When you depart for South America, be sure to turn in your card (I think I-94) at check-in. The US does not have exit formalities. When you return, you can get a new Visa Waiver, as you mention though at the immigration officers discretion.

If you are on the Visa Waiver and you go to Canada, Mexico and the Carribean, your Visa Waiver is still active. By going to South America, you can try to get a new VW.

2

You do not apply for the Visa Waiver online. You apply for the ESTA online. The ESTA is simply a pre-clearance for the VWP that determines whether you are on a list of known bad guys. Once you have a completed ESTA, you can then fly to the US and request admission under the VWP.

The ESTA is valid for two years, unless your passport information changes (new name, number, expiration date, etc.) or it is revoked. If you already have a valid one for your first trip to the US, you won't need one after your trip south.

All entry is at the discretion of the official you receive. But after a month in South America, you should be fine.

3

People entering the US under the Visa Waiver Program are no longer given an I-94. What happens is that the airline is required to provide US immigration a list of everyone on board. The US matches that with Visa Waiver arrivals and knows that you have left the country.

It won't hurt to have proof that you rally did go to SA, in case there is a computer hiccup. Your boarding pass, a stamp in your passport, a hotel receipt, etc.

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Nutrax

The plural of anecdote is not data.