Published On: Thu, Nov 21st, 2024

Prince Harry gets major visa boost as US Government lashes out at ‘unfounded speculation’ | Royal | News


Prince Harry has received fresh backing from the US Government as a new document reveals Biden’s administration firmly believes his immigration papers should remain private.

In a document seen by Newsweek, the Government states any “speculation of impropriety” about Harry’s past drug use was unfounded”.

Conservative thinktank the Heritage Foundation has questioned the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to grant Harry a US visa after he admitted to taking illegal drugs in his memoir, Spare.

It sued the US government in an attempt to force the department to release Harry’s visa records to determine whether he had lied in his official paperwork. This is because a history of drug use would normally disqualify an applicant from being granted residence.

Prince Harry had documented in his bombshell memoir, Spare, that he had taken “psychedelics” and drugs such as cocaine.

Heritage lost its case, with a judge ruling that his records should remain private. However, the think tank is attempting to overturn the ruling.

The Biden administration has now responded to the latest challenge, and appears to have doubled down on its handling of Harry’s move to the US.

A Government court filing, seen by Newsweek, reads: “The evidence before the Court plainly sufficed to show that [Heritage’s] speculation of impropriety was unfounded.”

It comes as Judge Carl J. Nichols reviewed Harry’s immigration records in private without revealing the contents, prior to terminating the case in September.

“Following in camera review of certain records and associated declarations, the Court agrees that the Duke’s privacy interest outweighs any public interest, and therefore grants Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment.”

However, the executive director of the think tank’s oversight project responded to Newsweek at the time stating the case became “more suspicious”.

Mike Howell said: “While our case is far from over as we explore appeal, I’d say that these very curious redactions point to something serious afoot.”

Biden Administration lawyers wrote in their latest filing: “The public declarations provided the maximum amount of information about the documents without revealing non-public information about the Duke of Sussex’s immigration status, any immigration benefits that he sought, or any adverse actions to which he was subject.”

They said Heritage’s “purported evidence of government wrongdoing amounted merely to a ‘bare suspicion’ of government misconduct, which is insufficient to override the Duke’s privacy interests.”

The filing added: “Rather than take these declarations at face value the Court sought supplemental declarations and other materials that contained facts about the Duke’s immigration status and entry into the United States.

“Based on these facts, the Court did not find evidence of government impropriety. Even Plaintiffs admitted that if the records show that the ‘expected impropriety did not occur then the case is immediately at an end[.]'”

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