The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, urged a federal judge on Tuesday, June 6, to unseal Prince Harry’s US immigration records.
Prince Harry, 38, was not in court in the US because he was in London’s High Court on Tuesday in a case involving accusations against the British press.
The foundation filed a Freedom of Information Act complaint, pushing the US government to disclose Prince Harry’s immigration file after he admitted to past drug use in his recent book.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responded by declaring that while there “may be some public interest in the records sought,” the government is not convinced that it is necessary to release Prince Harry’s records.
Judge Carl Nichols gave the DHS until June 13 to officially respond again to the records request.
US immigration laws stipulate that a history of drug use can lead to visa rejection, driving the foundation’s curiosity about whether the US government adhered to protocol when granting Prince Harry a visa. The foundation emphasizes transparency due to extensive media coverage and public interest surrounding Harry’s confessed drug offenses domestically and internationally.
Initially, the request for Harry’s records was denied, citing his refusal to permit information release. The US Justice Department asserted that conjecture about Prince Harry’s visa status did not meet the criteria necessary to expedite the release of the document. The Heritage Foundation, nonetheless, continues its quest for clarity on the serious questions raised by Harry’s acknowledged drug use, which typically renders an individual ineligible for entry into the US.
In his January memoir, “Spare”, Prince Harry revealed his past dalliances with various recreational substances, including cocaine, marijuana, and magic mushrooms. He admitted to using drugs during his teenage years as a means of finding solace from his unhappiness. Harry also shared his transition from tobacco to marijuana while at Eton College and his experience with magic mushrooms during a brief US visit, where he and a friend ate black diamond mushroom chocolates at actress Courteney Cox’s residence.