Prince Harry's US visa application documents released—will he get deported?
What's the story
Documents pertaining to Prince Harry's US visa application have been released, though heavily redacted.
His visa records came under scrutiny after the Royal admitted to using drugs like cocaine and cannabis in his autobiography.
The release of the six previously confidential litigation files came after a challenge from The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.
The organization had filed freedom of information (FOI) requests to find out if Harry had been given special treatment with his visa application.
Legal proceedings
Earlier, US government official argued against the release
Prince Harry had admitted to using drugs including cannabis, cocaine, and psychedelics in his memoir Spare. US visa applications require applicants to disclose both current and past drug use.
However, the documents released on Tuesday don't include the Prince's visa form; instead supporting declarations and court transcripts written during the Heritage Foundation's case have been released.
It also reveals that a US government official had argued in a court that revealing Harry's immigration details wasn't in the public interest.
Unanswered questions
Questions still remain about Prince Harry's drug use disclosure
A top FOI officer argued that Harry would suffer "harm in the form of harassment" and "unwanted contact" from the media if such details were made public.
Still, the heavily redacted documents leave many questions unanswered, especially whether he disclosed his past drug use on visa application forms.
Samuel Dewey, HF attorney, said: "It's always been a puzzle and we've always taken the view it may take some time to get answers...we'll use this additional data to keep moving forward."
Privacy concerns
Documents contain private and personal information
One of the files, marked as Exhibit 1, claims that the records contain "very specific private and personal" information, the release of which would violate individual privacy rights.
With such extensive redactions, one can't make out much from the documents. However, there's a mention of "waiver." Details have not been provided, reported Sky News.
Memoir revelations
Why drug use confession is important
In his memoir, the Duke of Sussex infamously confessed to using drugs.
Now, questions are being raised about whether he mentioned the same on his visa application form, which could affect his eligibility for a US visa.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump had ruled out the notion of deporting Prince Harry, noting, "I'll leave him alone."
Harry moved to the US with his wife Meghan Markle in 2020 after stepping down from active British Royal Family members.
Deportation concerns
Potential deportation and public interest in Prince Harry's case
Prince Harry could potentially face deportation as admissions of drug use can lead to (non-immigrant and immigrant) visa applications being rejected. Notably, immigration officers do have the right to discretion.
The conservative Heritage Foundation alleged the duke might have lied about his past illegal drug use, which would have disqualified him from obtaining his US visa.
Despite previously denying the FOI request, US Department for Homeland Security (DHS) lawyers agreed in February to release redacted versions of immigration forms.