Trump isn’t playing around. He’s not going to let anyone skirt by his administration’s immigration laws.
And this high-profile celebrity is being threatened with deportation under Donald Trump.
A prominent conservative think tank has called on former President Donald Trump to release Prince Harry’s immigration records following allegations that the Duke of Sussex may have misrepresented his past drug use during the immigration process.
The controversy stems from Harry’s admissions in his 2023 memoir, Spare, where he detailed past drug use, including cocaine, cannabis, and psychedelic mushrooms. The revelation has raised questions about whether the prince disclosed this history when he emigrated from the United Kingdom to the United States.
Visa and green card applicants are typically required to report drug use, with penalties for false statements potentially including deportation. However, a federal judge ruled last year that Harry’s application records would remain sealed.
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative policy organization, is urging Trump to challenge this decision and use his authority to make the documents public.
“I’ll be urging the president to release Prince Harry’s immigration records, and the president does have that legal authority to do that,” said Nile Gardiner, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom.
“It’s important because this is an issue of the rule of law, transparency and accountability. No one should be above the law,” Gardiner stated in an interview with the New York Post.
Gardiner also suggested that Trump’s focus on stricter border control should include addressing the prince’s case. “Prince Harry should be held fully to account as he has admitted to extensive illegal drug use,” Gardiner said. “My firm expectation is that action will be taken.”
In February 2023, the Heritage Foundation filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), seeking access to Harry’s visa documents. The goal was to verify whether the prince truthfully disclosed his drug use.
Harry, 40, has spoken candidly about his experiences, including using cocaine at age 17 to cope with his mother Princess Diana’s death.
“Of course I had been taking cocaine at that time,” he admitted in his memoir. “At someone’s house, during a hunting weekend, I was offered a line, and since then I had consumed some more.”
In March 2024, Trump commented on the matter, stating he would “have to see” if DHS had prior knowledge of Harry’s admissions and whether any action would be necessary. “If they know something about the drugs, and if he lied, they’ll have to take appropriate action,” he said.
However, Heritage faced a setback in September when DC U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols ruled against the disclosure of Harry’s immigration records. Nichols sided with DHS, citing insufficient public interest to override the prince’s privacy rights.
Heritage attorney Samuel Dewey filed another motion in October, arguing that releasing the records would offer insight into how DHS exercises discretion. Gardiner suggested the Biden administration may have gone to great lengths to shield Harry’s records from scrutiny.
He also questioned whether Harry and Meghan Markle, who moved to California in January 2020, received special treatment due to their political activism. In 2023, the couple’s Archewell Foundation donated $250,000 to Ashley Biden’s nonprofit for trauma-affected women, raising additional questions from critics.
“They have with the Archewell Foundation made all sorts of donations and I think that should be fully scrutinized really. … I think that should be an issue of even congressional scrutiny — their foundation — where the money is going and who they’re donating to,” Gardiner stated.
While some former immigration officials believe Harry’s drug use admissions are unlikely to threaten his status, others argue that transparency is crucial. They note that any discrepancies in his application could potentially be resolved through a waiver if necessary.
For now, the debate over Prince Harry’s immigration status remains unresolved, with the Heritage Foundation continuing its legal and political campaign for greater transparency.
Stay tuned to the Conservative Column.
