An activist who sued the Department of Homeland Security to obtain Prince Harry’s immigration records urged the prince to be “honest and truthful” in revealing how he came to the United States after admitting in his memoir to using drugs.
Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at the Washington-based Heritage Foundation, said Chief Justice Carl Nichols’ recent order for DHS to hand over relevant records was an “encouraging development,” but urged the Duke of Sussex to be transparent.
Arguing that it is “ridiculous and absurd to argue against the release of immigration records on the grounds of protecting your privacy”, he told MailOnline that there was a public interest in the American public seeing the records and ex praised President Trump ‘supports’ the release.
“We believe Prince Harry should be completely honest and truthful when applying to live in the United States,” she said.
‘Prince Harry is a high-profile British figure living in the United States and we believe that everyone should be treated equally in the eyes of the law when applying to live in the United States.
“We believe this issue is important to everyone who believes in the enforcement of American immigration law and to anyone who also believes in the importance of the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.”
In the wake of Spare’s publication last year, right-wing think tank The Heritage Foundation sued DHS over access to Prince Harry’s files. The United States routinely asks about drug use in its visa applications, although acknowledgment of past drug use does not necessarily prevent people from entering or remaining in the country.
Last month, former President Donald Trump (pictured during a March 5 party event in Florida) said he would not protect Harry if he were elected again in November.
Since June, the Duke’s immigration status has been under scrutiny after the conservative group Heritage Foundation sent a public information request to the Department of Homeland Security seeking Harry’s records (pictured with Meghan Markle in British Columbia, February 14 ).
Nile Gardiner urged the prince to be “honest and truthful” and highlighted public interest in the case
The comments come as Trump-appointed Judge Carl Nichols on Thursday asked DHS to turn over the records and asked the agency to provide statements explaining the “particular harm” of disclosing the request.
Judge Carl Nichols told DHS that its arguments so far were “insufficiently detailed” for him to make a decision.
The Heritage Foundation is also seeking release of the documents as part of a Freedom of Information request it filed last year.
Nile Gardiner announced the decision and urged the Biden administration to do more to ensure records are available in the name of the “transparency and accountability of the United States government.”
“There is strong support among the American people for the release of Prince Harry’s immigration records,” he said.
“This case has become one of the most important and high-profile immigration-related legal cases in recent American history, so many Americans are following this case and there is great public interest in the outcome” .
Gardiner continued: ‘It is very important that the American people can have faith in the immigration system and how it is enforced.
“Anyone applying for a US visa has to be honest and truthful and we want to establish whether Prince Harry was honest and truthful in his application and whether he was given preferential treatment by US officials.”
“These are important questions that need to be answered and the Biden administration has refused to answer any questions, which is why we are suing them for the release of these records.”
Last week’s development followed a hearing in Washington in February in which Judge Nichols heard from DHS and the Heritage Foundation.
The foundation seeks to release the material and establish whether the DHS applied leniency for the royal after he was allowed to enter the US after admitting to drug use in his memoirs and in television interviews.
DHS has saying The prince may have embellished claims made in Spare to “sell books”.
If the duke didn’t tell the truth on his entry forms, a border agent could remove him from the U.S. or ban him.
In Washington, Judge Nichols declared that the Freedom of Information law authorized him to review “challenged statements and/or records behind closed doors.”
Doing so would help you determine if any exemptions that prevent documents from being made public apply.
Judge Nichols said: “Having reviewed the parties’ written submissions and heard oral arguments on the motions, the court concludes that an in-camera review is necessary to determine whether the disputed records fall within the scope of the claimed exemptions.” .
He gave DHS until March 21 to file statements detailing “the records it is withholding and the particular harm that would arise from their public disclosure,” his order said.
Britain’s Prince Harry attends the “women in media” spotlight session at the Austin Convention Center during the 2024 SXSW Conference and Festival on March 8, 2024, in Austin, Texas.
District Court Judge Carl Nichols was appointed to the position by Donald Trump in 2018, but since then he has not always agreed with the former president.
“There’s clearly a lot of public interest in this,” Mr. Gardiner said. “Immigration has become the number one issue in the US elections, according to Gallup, so everything related to immigration is important to the American people.”
‘I hope this case will attract more and more attention from ordinary Americans who want the rule of law to apply.
‘It remains to be seen whether this particular case generates, you know, more political debate.
“But there is already intense public interest in the case and President Trump has already spoken out in favor of releasing Harry’s immigration records.”
The activist argued that the Biden administration was making a “statement” with its defense of not releasing the documents for reasons of protecting the prince’s privacy.
He argued that Prince Harry was “one of the most public figures in the world” and “in the United States right now,” and cited “a series of high-profile interviews in which he talks about his own private life.”
Heritage has claimed in legal papers that the fact that Harry is so open about his private life means he has lost that right.
“Harry himself has gone to great lengths to talk about his own private life, including his drug use, which he described in Spare,” Mr Gardiner explained.
During last month’s hearing, DHS lawyers said Harry’s claims about his drug use in ‘Spare’ may not have been true and may have been there only to sell books.
“The book is not sworn testimony or evidence,” John Bardo told the court. “Saying something in a book doesn’t necessarily make it true.”
In its legal filing, DHS said the records in question are “particularly sensitive” because they “would reveal Harry’s (immigration) status in the United States.”
The DHS has stated that Harry still has a right to privacy even though he is a celebrity.
“The Biden administration should be keen to enforce the rule of law and it makes no difference whether someone applies from the UK or anywhere else in the world – everyone should be subject to the same immigration laws,” Gardiner said . contested.
And it shouldn’t matter if one is a prince or an aristocrat. And that is an important principle for the American people: that everyone be treated equally. And I think you know it.
The Duke of Sussex participates in the “women in media” session at the Austin Convention Center during the 2024 SXSW Conference and Festival on March 8, 2024, in Austin, Texas.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attend the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on June 3, 2022 in London, England
The Duke of Sussex’s immigration status has been under scrutiny since the conservative group Heritage Foundation sent a public information request to the Department of Homeland Security seeking Harry’s records.
This followed his admission in Spare that he had taken cocaine several times since he was 17, to “get the feel”. To be different.’ She also admitted to using cannabis and psychedelic mushrooms.
The issue is now back in the news following Harry’s February interview with Good Morning America, where the issue of his application for US citizenship was raised.
“American citizenship is a thought that has crossed my mind, but it is certainly not something that is a high priority for me right now,” he said.
Harry moved to Southern California with Meghan and their young family in 2020 after they left royal life and embarked on new projects.