>But they only guarantee them for citizens, at least until now.
>
>Any reference to "citizen" in the US constitution does not refer to the rights of the people but to the right to vote. We all accept that non-citizens can't vote- though there was a time when non-citizens were welcome to vote in the US. ;-)
>
>if you want to be a purist, the Constitution doesn't apply to non-citizens. But it doesn't apply to citizens either. The Constitution is a contract between the federal government and the states; it applies to federal government enumerating the things it may and may not do. The laws of the land apply to all God's children inside (and some would argue outside) US borders ;-)

And the courts have interpreted the constitution for years. The courts have determined that Miranda rights used to not apply to non=citizens, but now they do, The courts decided that illegal aliens have rights today that they didn't have before. The US Constitution refers to "equal protection" which is what the courts have used to give rights to citizens, and now to the universe.