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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsForeign policyStarted 14yrs agoActive 2yrs ago

Should foreign terrorism suspects be given constitutional rights?

In 2002, the George W. Bush administration issued the Torture Memos which argued for a narrow definition of torture under U.S. law. They included granting the CIA authority to use “enhanced interrogation techniques” on enemy combatants. The techniques included waterboarding subjection to extreme cold and confinement in small boxes.

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 19.6k Westchester voters.

29%
Yes
71%
No
19%
Yes
55%
No
6%
Yes, just like U.S. citizens, terrorists should be given a fair trial in federal courts
9%
No, they should be tried in military tribunals but not subject to torture
4%
Yes, give them a fair trial and shut down Guantanamo Bay
7%
No, they are not U.S. citizens and do not have constitutional rights

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 19.6k Westchester voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 19.6k Westchester voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from Westchester voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @8LX7Q6W from Ohio  answered…6yrs6Y

Yes but only after they have been closely looked after for a period of time.

 @8XLR4JX  from North Carolina  answered…3yrs3Y

Not constitutional rights since they aren’t citizens, but basic human rights and international law still apply

 @ariff from Arkansas  answered…6yrs6Y

No, they are not US citizens but basic human rights still apply, and only if they are captured in an area under the jurisdiction of U.S. law.

 @52L8D8Zfrom Texas  answered…6yrs6Y

We wouldn't have to answer this question if we weren't legitimizing terror through unfair wars that create people accustomed to suffering and warfare as a norm, and who are living lives filled with terror because of us. This is not the way of Americans and it must stop.

 @9FDLK78 from California  answered…3yrs3Y

Terrorism is horrible and the people committing these acts do not deserve to be treated nicely but torture should not be used unless they tortured others.

 @4RVSBFDfrom District of Columbia  answered…6yrs6Y

USA is a major sponsor of terrorism. We should quit meddling in other nations.

 @4SQWJ65from Florida  answered…6yrs6Y

Is this seriously in consideration? They honestly shouldn't even be considered people. Of course they're not getting constitutional rights.

 @4RV9YSTfrom Florida  answered…6yrs6Y

If they are foreign nationals and trial is brought in the United States or a US territory, then they should be given the same rights to a fair trial, innocent until proven guilty. They should not be considered as US citizens, though. They are foreign nationals and should be privy to the laws that govern foreign nationals within the US and our territories.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

Israeli Bombings Kill 2,300 In Lebanon in 3 weeks

Lebanese authorities say Israeli bombing has killed more than 2,300 people and injured almost 11,000, mostly in the past three weeks, with Israeli attacks reaching areas far beyond Hizbollah’s traditional bastions of support in the south.The Israeli military has ordered people living in more than a quarter of Lebanon to flee, according to a UN calculation, as its fight with the Iran-backed Shia militant group Hizbollah threatens to engulf the Mediterranean country.Lebanese authorities say Israeli bombing has killed more than 2,300 people and injured almost 11,000, mostly in the past three weeks, with Israeli attacks reaching areas far beyond Hizbollah’s traditional bastions of support in the south.More than 1mn people have fled their homes in Lebanon in under a month, according to its government, a dramatic forced movement of the population in a country of only about 5mn inhabitants with a land mass smaller than the US state of Connecticut. Israeli forces began a ground offensive in south Lebanon two weeks ago, in their fourth invasion of the country in under five decades. They had already destroyed large parts of the densely populated southern Beirut suburb where Hizbollah had its headquarters, and killed many top militant commanders in air strikes, including former leader Hassan Nasrallah.Rema Jamous Imseis, Middle East director of UNHCR, told journalists in Geneva that “over 25 per cent of [Lebanon is] under a direct Israeli military evacuation order”. “People are heeding these calls to evacuate and they’re fleeing with almost nothing,” she added, saying that 80 per cent of the shelters opened by the Lebanese government — mostly in schools — were now full.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

A Moment of Darkness': Washington Post's No-Endorsement Decision Ignites Media Firestorm

Even though the presidential race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is neck and neck, The Washington Post has decided not to make a presidential endorsement for the first time in 36 years, the publisher and CEO announced Friday."We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates," Will Lewis wrote in an opinion piece published on the paper's website. He referenced the paper's policy in the decades prior to 1976, when, following the Watergate scandal that the Post broke, it endorsed Democratic nominee Jimmy Carter. The last time the Post did not endorse a presidential candidate in the general election was 1988, according to a search of its archives.Colleagues learned the news from the editorial page editor, David Shipley, at a tense meeting shortly before Lewis' announcement. The meeting was characterized by someone with direct knowledge of discussions on condition of anonymity to speak about internal matters.Shipley said that he told other editorial board leaders Thursday by management that there would be no endorsement, though he has known for weeks. He added that he "owns" this decision. The reason he cited was to create "independent space" where the newspaper does not tell people for whom to vote.Colleagues were said to be "shocked" and uniformly negative. Post corporate spokespeople have not responded to multiple messages left by NPR on the subject.Former Washington Post Executive Editor Martin Baron, who led the newsroom to acclaim during Trump's presidency, denounced the decision starkly."This is cowardice, a moment of darkness that will leave democracy as a casualty," Baron said in a statement to NPR. "Donald Trump will celebrate this as an invitation to further intimidate The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos (and other media owners). History will mark a disturbing chapter of spinelessness at an institution famed for courage."A similar decision by Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong led this week to the resignations of the paper's editorials editor and two editorial board members. Soon-Shiong said that he had asked the editorial board to draft a "factual analysis" of Trump and Harris' policies and plans. In her resignation letter, editorials editor Mariel Garza said the decision made the paper look “craven and hypocritical,” given its past reporting and editorials on Trump.

▲  1013 replies

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Based on 19.6k responses to this question.

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iSideWith. (2026). “Should foreign terrorism suspects be given constitutional rights?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 17, 2026, from https://www.isidewith.com/poll/46492877

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