Prince Harry has been urged to be “completely transparent” and disclose details of his US visa application or risk becoming a “political pawn” because of his past drug use.
U.S. immigration authorities have until April 12 to respond to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request filed by a leading American think tank looking to find out how the Duke of Sussex was allowed to enter the States after he was arrested had openly admitted to using a variety of substances in the past, including marijuana, cocaine and magic mushrooms.
Under US law, anyone applying for a visa to live and work in America must check a box to answer “yes” or “no” to the question “Are you or have you ever been a drug addict or addict?”
In his controversial memoir Spare and in a “therapy session” with toxic trauma expert Dr. Gabor Mate, to promote his book last month, admitted to Harry using psychedelic drugs.
These included the hallucinogenic Amazonian plant ayahuasca, whose effects he described as “cleaning the windshield, removing the filters of life.”
Prince Harry has been urged to be “totally transparent” and reveal details of his US visa application
But under US law, an admission of drug use usually results in a person being denied entry to the States, as in the case of chef Nigella Lawson and the late singer Amy Winehouse.
The issue of immigration is expected to become a key focus of the 2024 presidential election as Republicans attack President Joe Biden for his lax border controls. And there are fears that Harry’s friendships with prominent Democratic Party figures like former President Barack Obama and big Democrat donors including Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry could see him becoming an “ignorant pawn in a highly political game.” .
Last night, in an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, lead attorney Samuel Dewey of the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, which filed a 127-page FoI request for access to the Duke’s application, said: “It’s in the public interest to learn how Prince Harry responded to the drugs question.
“If he has been honest and open about his drug use and there is no reason to believe he hasn’t, it may well be that he has checked the ‘yes’ box, in which case he has would require a dispensation to obtain a visa to enter the States.
“That means he should have been questioned in person and someone should have given him an exemption. We simply ask who granted this waiver.’
There is a history of authorities issuing immigration documents on public figures.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services website has an electronic reading room that contains the immigration records of individuals such as Shyamala Gopalan Harris, mother of US Vice President Kamala Harris, and George Michael and John Lennon.
Other celebrities whose files are publicly available include Canadian-born Superman actress Margot Kidder and British actress Lynn Redgrave.
In his controversial memoir Spare and in a “therapy session” with toxic trauma expert Dr. Gabor Mate, to promote his book last month, admitted to Harry using psychedelic drugs
Mr Dewey added: “A license from drug use does not automatically ban you forever.
“There is a waiver process and a lot of people get a waiver on a case-by-case basis. If Prince Harry received a waiver, who approved it? Was the correct protocol followed? It’s something the American people deserve to know.’
Often a ban is lifted after an in-person interview at a US consulate or official immigration agency, where an exemption can be issued.
In 2014, Ms Lawson was denied entry to the US after admitting to using cocaine during a court hearing, despite telling a judge: “I was never a drug addict. I’ve never been an ordinary user.’ She was later granted a visa after being questioned at the US Embassy in London while Ms Winehouse was twice denied entry because of her drug use.
Mr Dewey said: “There is no indication that Prince Harry did anything wrong and if he has been granted a dispensation he may not be aware of any political strings that may have been pulled if indeed that was the case. But there is a risk that he will unwittingly become a pawn in what has become a political hot pot.’
Reports in the US suggest that Harry was admitted on an O visa – given to people of exceptional ability.
Nile Gardiner, a director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at the Heritage Foundation, said: “This is a much bigger problem than Prince Harry. It’s about enforcing immigration law and making sure no one is above the law. Prince Harry is just the tip of the iceberg.
“Many believe that under President Biden, immigration laws have become lax and are not being properly enforced. Prince Harry has spoken openly about his drug use and he has done so for commercial and financial reasons to sell books. In our opinion, data protection is excluded here.”
The MoS solicited comments from the US Department of Homeland Security, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, US Customs and Border Protection, California Border Protection and the Archewell Organization of the Sussexes on Prince Harry’s immigration status. Nobody answered.