In a new turn of events, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has rejected a request by the conservative group known as the Heritage Foundation to release Prince Harry’s visa application.
This request was filed under the Freedom of Information Act, arguing that the prince’s statements in his book “Spare” and his alleged use of narcotics are contrary to U.S. immigration regulations.
The final decision was left in the hands of DHS after a judge in Washington D.C. refused to issue a court order to disclose the requested information.
DHS issued a letter to the conservative group explaining that the information was not in the public interest and therefore would not be released.
Heritage Foundation Vs. Prince Harry
However, the conservative group announced that it would not give up and would continue to seek to have the information made public.
Despite this announcement, it has been reported that the petition has been rejected for the second time, and they have even made public a court document in which the DHS accuses the group of making “Inflammatory Allegations”.
It should be noted that this issue has been used in the political contest that is taking place in the United States, as it is in the electoral process.
Newsweek has published the content of the letter in which the DHS responded to the first request, maintaining the same line of argumentation.
According to the U.S. media, the letter states: “We find that you have not provided sufficient public interest to outweigh the Duke of Sussex’s right to privacy concerning his entry and exit records. Without an individual’s consent or an overriding public interest, providing the Duke’s entry and exit records would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.”
The text also references allegations of mismanagement of the prince’s migration case, noting that mere suspicion is not enough to prove misconduct on the part of the government agency.
Documents reviewed by Newsweek detailing the entire legal process reveal that, while the conservative group’s letter has not been made public, DHS responded through another brief in which it states:
“This draft included six pages of inflammatory allegations regarding U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (“CBP”) handling of the request.”
The Heritage Foundation has responded to these statements, arguing that this is an attempt to distract attention from the petition and that its primary purpose is to evaluate CBP’s conduct.
Both the government agency and the conservative group have debated the lack of transparency and have made it clear that, in this case, the individual’s right to privacy prevails and there is no genuine public interest that would justify the release of this information.
The Heritage Foundation has used Harry’s statements, especially those related to his use of banned substances on U.S. soil in his book “Spare,” to question his immigration process.
They have specifically focused on the answers the prince would have given in his visa questionnaire to enter the United States, where he has resided since 2020.
Although Prince Harry is involved in three separate legal battles in the United Kingdom, in this case he has decided to stand aside and let the government define his position.
