The case hinges on how the Duke of Sussex responded to questions about drug use on his US visa application when he requested permission to relocate to the United States in March 2020.
Prince Harry will appear in London’s High Judicial on the same day as his US court case.
In a federal courtroom in Washington, DC, attorneys are scheduled to demand the US government disclose the Duke of Sussex’s US visa application form, a move that could result in his deportation.
The Duke of Sussex’s March 2020 US visa application answers on drug use are crucial.
The Heritage Foundation, an American conservative political research organization, has filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to determine if the proper rules were followed in granting the duke a visa.
Prince Harry confessed to using cocaine, marijuana, and magic mushrooms in his Netflix series and autobiography, Spare.
Under U.S. law, admittance or evidence of past drug use may be grounds for visa denial.
Heritage Foundation solicitors highlight two crucial queries on the US DS160 visa application.
The initial inquiry is, “Have you ever been a drug abuser or addict?”
The second question is: “Have you ever violated or conspired to violate any law about controlled substances?”
Also there is significant doubt as to whether or not he should have been admitted.
Sam Dewey, counsel for the Heritage Foundation, told before the court hearing, “The government has taken the position that ‘there’s nothing to see here.'”
“If you look at his admissions, drug laws, and admissions laws, we believe. There is a serious question as to whether or not he should have been admitted.”
If he did not reveal his drug use, legal action may have been warranted.
Mr. Dewey, speaking on behalf of his client, stated that the Heritage Foundation’s case was predominately in the public interest and based on a widespread suspicion that the DHS is not granting visas by the policy.
Lawyers cite other luminaries whose visas were denied for drug use in the past.
The visa application of Prince Harry is the most recent and high-profile instance of the process being questioned.
Mr. Dewey stated, “We view it as a very serious question – why he was admitted with no problem, given everything we know [about his drug use] and have explained in detail, but others were not.”
As evidence for the case, Heritage Foundation attorneys cite luminaries such as celebrity chef Nigella Lawson and musician Pete Doherty who have been denied visas or had the process delayed in the past due to previous drug use.
Doherty flew to New York’s JFK airport in 2010 before being ordered home. Doherty has accumulated multiple narcotic convictions.
In a 2013 court case involving two personal assistants, Lawson admitted to using cocaine and marijuana. She was denied admission on a flight to Los Angeles, California, the following year. After a lengthy procedure, she was granted a visa.
The judge will decide if it is in the public’s best interest to disseminate Prince’s application.
Also Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Centre for Freedom at the Heritage Foundation, posed the question, “Did DHS turn a blind eye, show favoritism, or fail to respond appropriately to any potential false statements made by Prince Harry?”
The hearing may last several weeks.
A judge will decide if the US Customs and Border Protection Agency must speed up its visa application record search.
The judge must decide if releasing the prince’s application form is in the public interest.
He will then reveal whether he lied about never using drugs or confessed yet was still allowed into the nation.
