Belle wrote:How come aliens are accorded rights under the American Constitution? Do I have these rights too?
It is a thorny legal issue, which Trump couldn't be bothered to navigate before plunging our land into chaos. "Shoot first, ask questions later" appears to be the M.O. of this alien currently residing in Washington, D.C.
As I understand it, probably incorrectly, you as an "alien" do
not have U.S. constitutional rights and the POTUS has wide latitude on how to treat you or your family if he invokes national security. That being said, there are both constitutional and legal constraints on the President. First, he must always act according to the Constitution, so he cannot issue an order, for example, that would favor one religion or penalize another (forbidden by the "establishment [of religion] clause" of the First Amendment to the Constitution). Also, he must act according to the law, so he cannot issue an order that would favor one nationality or penalize another (forbidden by congressional statute). So indirectly, you do have rights. And if you enter the immigration system, e.g., if you are issued a visa or a green card, you must be treated according to prevailing laws and regulations and have a right to sue if you aren't.
Moreover, individual states (like the State of Washington right now) may sue the federal gov't if they can show the courts that they (e.g., their state universities) are being harmed by an unconstitutional or illegal Presidential order that also affects their alien residents. So if a particular state undertakes to defend you in effect from harm, in that limited sense you do have rights.
