US officials block release of Prince Harry’s US visa files

US officials have rejected a request to make Prince Harry’s visa file public over whether he lied about his past drug use.

Lawyers for the Heritage Foundation went to court last week to try to force the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to act more quickly on their Freedom of Information Act request about the Duke of Sussex.

Judge Carl Nichols declined to issue an injunction, urging the U.S. government to somehow answer the conservative think tank by Tuesday (June 13).

But on Wednesday, his lead attorney Samuel Dewey shared a letter from DHS senior director Jimmy Wolfrey refusing to confirm or deny that the duke’s papers were on file.

“To the extent that data exists, this agency does not consider a public interest in disclosure sufficient to override the subject’s privacy interests,” he wrote.

The merits of releasing Harry’s visa application were not discussed at last week’s hearing in Washington DC

It means the conservative think tank will now use further legal remedies to force DHS to release the files.

In an angry statement posted online, Nile Gardiner of the Heritage Foundation responded to the decision.

“This argument makes no sense, but is not surprising given the zero transparency of the Biden administration,” Gardiner said.

“The attempts by the Department of Homeland Security to block the Heritage Foundation’s Freedom of Information request are unacceptable, and we will challenge their position,” Margaret Thatcher, former senior aide to ex-British Prime Minister, added.

Nile Gardiner, a former aide to ex-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, lashed out at the Biden administration for its “zero transparency” stance

This is the part of the visa application that Prince Harry would need to complete in order to enter the United States

Prince Harry admitted to taking drugs in his memoir Spare, which was released early this year

Heritage tries to find out how the 38-year-old British royal answered questions about his past drug use.

It came after Prince Harry confessed to using a range of illegal substances in his recent memoir ‘Spare’.

Under US law, admitting drug use can be grounds for denial of a visa application

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have positioned themselves as public figures in the US since parting ways with the British royal family in 2020.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were last seen together in the UK at the late Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral last September, months before ‘Spare’ was published.

The details in Harry’s visa application could pose problems for his future life in the United States, according to the Heritage Foundation.

A confession to drug use does not automatically mean you will be banned from the United States for life.

Any denial of entry can be reversed after a personal interview at a US consulate or official immigration office, where a waiver can be issued.

There is a history of authorities releasing immigration documents on public figures.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services website has an electronic reading room that contains the files of some celebrities.

The records of the late musicians George Michael and John Lennon are online, as are those of the mother of US Vice President Kamala Harris.

Since arriving in the country in 2020, Harry has befriended prominent Democratic Party figures such as former President Barack Obama.

He is also close to major Democratic donors, including Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, raising fears he could become an “ignorant pawn in a very political game.”

DailyMail.com has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and a spokesman for the Duke of Sussex for comment.