Following Prince Harry’s admission of using illegal drugs, the US government will appear in a federal court on Tuesday, June 6, to respond to inquiries about his visa application.
To compel the publication of the Duke of Sussex’s immigration records, the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank with offices in Washington, DC, is suing Joe Biden’s administration.
The organization is curious as to how the prince entered the US since he admitted in his shocking memoir Spare that he had used cocaine, marijuana, and magic mushrooms.
A federal judge will hear the Heritage Foundation’s case on June 6 at 2:30 p.m. in courtroom 17 of the US District Court for the District of Columbia, according to the foundation.
Nile Gardner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Centre for Freedom at the Heritage Foundation, made the announcement and said that the news conference would be available to the media.
Given that admitting to drug usage can result in a visa application being rejected, the decision to release immigration information could have an impact on Harry’s standing in the US.
If the duke’s drug admissions from Spare were included in his immigration application, it will be determined by the Heritage Foundation.
The group attempted to have the application made public under the Freedom of Information Act in an accelerated manner in March, but was unsuccessful.
Harry reveals in his autobiography Spare that he first tried cocaine at the age of 17 while attending a shooting weekend. On other occasions, he delivered “a few more lines.”
He also acknowledged using marijuana after his first date with Meghan and experiencing hallucinations at a celebrity-studded event in California.
The Duke also discussed his “positive” ayahuasca experience, adding that it “brought me a sense of relaxation, release, comfort, and a lightness that I managed to hold on to for a period of time.”
Harry made the remarks during a conversation with Dr. Gabor Maté, a therapist who is a vocal proponent of decriminalizing drugs and who has supposedly used the Amazonian plant ayahuasca to treat patients with mental illness.
In response, Harry said, “(Cocaine) didn’t do much for me. It was more of a social thing and provided me a sense of belonging, for sure. I also think it probably made me feel different from how I was feeling, which was kind of the idea.
“Marijuana is different; it really did help me,” the user said.
Anyone who admits to formerly abusing illegal drugs is typically barred admittance to the US under US law.
Candidates for visas to reside and work in America must check a box to indicate if they have ever used drugs in the past. ‘Are you, or have you ever been, a drug abuser or addict?’ it asks.
If you say yes, your application for a US visa may be rejected, as happened in Amy Winehouse’s case in 2008, which forced her to postpone her plans to attend the Grammy Awards.
However, if you admit to using drugs, you are not immediately expelled from the US for good. After a face-to-face interview at a US consulate or official immigration office, where a waiver can be granted, any admission denial can be reversed.
The Heritage Foundation argues that there is ‘immense public interest’ in finding out how Harry responded to the drug-related question on his application.
Given the past of authorities disclosing immigration records about famous people, they will undoubtedly have some confidence in their ability to get the documents released.
The electronic reading room on the US Citizenship and Immigration Services website contains the records of some famous people, including the late performers George Michael and John Lennon.
