Outrage is growing over US government secrecy over Prince Harry’s visa application. The US government’s refusal to release information about Prince Harry’s US visa application has sparked anger and controversy.
Officials say a think tank’s attempts to reveal these details are nothing more than inflammatory allegations. However, the organization maintains that this is simply a delaying tactic.
Critics have denounced the US government’s refusal as outrageous, citing Prince Harry’s right to privacy as the reason.
Controversy erupted when a campaign group called The Heritage Foundation (HF) sought to find out whether Prince Harry had made false claims about his drug use in his immigration papers. These allegations were openly acknowledged by Prince Harry in his memoir and the Netflix series about his life.
The Heritage Foundation used the US Freedom of Information Act to request relevant records from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Concerns have been raised that Prince Harry may have provided inaccurate information on his registration forms which, if proven, could result in his deportation from the United States.
Initially, the Department of Homeland Security denied the Heritage Foundation’s request, prompting the organization to file a lawsuit in a Washington court challenging the decision. The group accuses the government of employing delaying tactics and considers its actions outrageous, as reported by The Sun.
While the US government claims that HF’s arguments are merely inflammatory allegations, HF argues that these allegations are an attempt to distract from the real problem. They also accuse the government of engaging in delaying behavior to avoid solving the problem quickly.
The Heritage Foundation is urging a quick decision on whether to pursue the case, but DHS has reluctantly agreed to extend the deadline. The applications are now expected to be considered until November, followed by a decision by the judge.
In its second denial, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the existence of entry and exit logs for Prince Harry. However, the ministry declined to provide further details, saying that despite being a public figure, Prince Harry is entitled to certain privacy rights. The department argues that disclosing the records would be an unwarranted invasion of privacy. They make it clear that strong evidence of government wrongdoing would be needed to warrant their release, rather than mere suspicion of misconduct.
Neil Gardner, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, submitted a freedom of information request. Immigration experts have suggested that Prince Harry’s admission to drug use could potentially lead to denial of entry by US border officials. Prince Harry himself chose not to comment on the ongoing case.
The Department of Homeland Security explains that information that may have subjected a traveler to closer scrutiny at one time could be deemed inappropriate and irrelevant later. They point out that a person’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) entry and exit records, even those of a famous individual, are not sufficient evidence to undermine public confidence in CBP’s enforcement of equity equality under the law.
