Prince Harry’s immigration papers ‘taking longer than expected’ to find, Biden administration says
A conservative think tank in the US wants the details of Prince Harry’s US immigration records made public following the drug-taking scandal revealed in his Spare memoir
Prince Harry is being made to wait even longer over whether or not his immigration records should be made public as the Biden administration requests for more time to find the papers.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it now needs an extra two weeks in its search for the records before a judge can make a decision on releasing the papers.
A court filing was made on Sunday asking for more time to respond to Judge Carl Nichols’ order to give more information about why the royal’s immigration details should remain a secret.
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in the US, is seeking to release the material as part of a Freedom of Information request it filed last year. It wants to know if the Duke of Sussex, who moved to California in 2020, admitted to using illegal drugs before he was granted entry to live in the US.
READ MORE: Prince Harry could be kicked out the US and forced back to the UK over major blunder
The Biden administration has asked for two more weeks to hand over Prince Harry’s immigration papers (
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Normally, anyone who admits to using class A’s won’t be allowed a visa for the States. The DHS’s lawyers wrote in their filing over the weekend: “Defendant has begun the search but searching for and reviewing the records has taken longer than anticipated,” adding, “Thus, having established good cause, defendant respectfully requests an additional fourteen days, up to and including April 4, 2024, to comply with the court’s order.”
They also said other government agencies may need to look over the documents before they can be handed to the judge. Prince Harry, 39, was accused of “bragging and encouraging illegal drug use” in his memoir Spare, according to an earlier court filing. In the controversial book, the father-of-two admitted to using marijuana, cocaine and magic mushrooms.
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The Heritage Foundation is seeking to release Harry’s immigration papers after he admitted to using drugs in his memoir (
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In January last year during his book tour, he regularly spoke about his drug use, revealing he first took cocaine at 17 while on a shooting weekend. He also admitted to hallucinating during a celebrity-filled event in California and smoking cannabis after his first date with Meghan.
Visa applicants are asked by US officials: “Have you ever violated any law related to possessing, using, or distributing illegal drugs?” Answering yes means it is likely the applicant will be denied entry. Celebrities in the past such as Kate Moss and the late Amy Winehouse have struggled to gain entry to the US due to previous suspected drug use.
Famously, back in the 1970s, the Nixon administration tried to throw John Lennon, who was living in the States, out of the US over his 1968 drug conviction in the UK. The ex-Beatle however secured his Green Card, allowing him to stay, in 1976.