Conservative group sues Biden administration for Prince Harry’s immigration papers
Top conservative think tank is suing the Biden administration over Prince Harry’s immigration records — demanding to know why he’s allowed to stay in the US when he admitted using illegal drugs
- The Duke of Sussex confessed to his drug use in his recent book ‘Spare’
- Critics want to know if he has been treated favorably by US officials
- The Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based think tank, initiated legal action earlier on Monday
A top conservative organization is suing the Joe Biden administration to force officials to release Prince Harry’s US immigration files after he admitted using illegal drugs.
The Heritage Foundation wants to know how the Duke of Sussex managed to enter the country after confessing to using various substances in the past.
In his controversial memoir “Spare,” the 38-year-old estranged member of the British royal family said he used marijuana, cocaine and magic mushrooms, among other things.
The duke also experimented with the hallucinogenic Amazonian plant ayahuasca, which he described as “cleaning the windshield, removing the filters of life.”
A right-wing think tank is now suing the Department of Homeland Security to force it to release Harry’s visa application
This is the part of the visa application that Prince Harry would need to complete in order to enter the United States
The Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank, published the legal complaint earlier on Monday
Under US law, anyone who admits to a history of illegal narcotics abuse is generally barred from entering the country.
Applicants for a visa to live and work in the United States must tick a box to answer “yes” or “no” to a question about past drug use.
It says, “Are you or have you ever been a drug abuser or addict?”
Answering yes can result in a US visa being denied, as happened in the case of the late British singer Amy Winehouse.
But a confession to drug use does not automatically mean that you will be deported from the country for life.
Any denial of entry can be reversed after a personal interview at a US consulate or official immigration office, where a waiver can be issued.
The nearly 1,400-page legal complaint filed by Heritage lawyers argues there is “immense public interest” in learning how Harry answered that question.
Sources close to the case suggested officials stood in the way of the think tank’s freedom of information request it made on March 8 this year.
“It is safe to assume that the Biden administration has not fully cooperated with the release of the requested information,” a source said.
The U.S. government has 20 business days to respond to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act, except in “unusual circumstances.”
It was denied 24 hours later, prompting the Washington-based Heritage Foundation to appeal.
There is a history of authorities releasing immigration documents on public figures.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services website has an electronic reading room that contains the files of some celebrities.
The records of the late musicians George Michael and John Lennon are online, as are those of the mother of US Vice President Kamala Harris.
In his recent book, Prince Harry told how he lost his virginity in a field behind a pub where an elderly woman allegedly treated him “like a young stallion”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were last seen together in the UK at the late Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral last September, months before ‘Spare’ was published
The pair have had a rocky relationship with the British tabloid press since stepping back from royal duties in the United Kingdom
Nile Gardiner, the director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at the think tank, said the lawsuit focused on “transparency and accountability.”
“There is a clear public interest in the US to ensure that Harry does not receive favorable or preferential treatment from the immigration authorities,” the ex-British prime minister’s former senior aide said.
“Any discrepancy between the details in his immigration application and the revelations about drug use in Spare would have serious consequences for his legal status in the United States.
“Harry should be happy about the release of his immigration application so that the public can see what was put in the application,” he added.
Since arriving in the country in 2020, Harry has befriended prominent Democratic Party figures such as former president Barack Obama.
He is also close to major Democratic donors, including Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, raising fears he could become an “ignorant pawn in a very political game.”
DailyMail.com has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex for comment.