(NewsNation) — Could Prince Harry face deportation? The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has filed a lawsuit challenging Prince Harry’s U.S. visa.
The suit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security questions whether Prince Harry was properly admitted into the U.S.
At the crux of the suit is Prince Harry’s recent admission of past drug use in his book.
One excerpt from his memoir “Spare” reads: “I had been doing cocaine around this time. At someone’s country house, during a shooting weekend, I’d been offered a line, and I’d done a few more since.”
Prince Harry has also previously discussed how he coped with the trauma of his mother Princess Diana’s death with drugs and alcohol.
“So 28 to probably 32 was a nightmare time in my life. I was willing to drink. I was willing to take drugs, probably drink a week’s worth in one day, on a Friday or a Saturday night,” Prince Harry said in an Apple TV+ documentary.
Filing a complaint under the Freedom of Information Act, The Heritage Foundation wants to particularly see how Prince Harry answered a series of questions anyone seeking a U.S. visa must answer about their drug history. Those questions include: Are you or have you ever been a drug user or addict? And have you ever violated or engaged in a conspiracy to violate any law related to controlled substances?
“Widespread and continuous media coverage has surfaced the question of whether DHS properly admitted the Duke of Sussex in light of the fact that he has publicly admitted to the essential elements of a number of drug offenses in both the United States and abroad,” the complaint reads.
A court hearing on the matter is scheduled for Tuesday in Washington, D.C. Immigration attorney Michael Wildes says there’s a chance Harry could have his visa revoked.
“It is possible that he didn’t disclose everything, and DHS sees this and could revoke his visa,” Wildes told NewsNation host Dan Abrams.
Wildes continued that the immigration process is strict when it comes to drug use.
“Look, immigration is very Quaker-like, puritanical, when it comes to drugs. He could be charged with misrepresentation, the controlled substance violation grounds. You can be put forward as a drug abuser or a drug addict, which is even tougher, the crime involving moral turpitude ground,” Wildes said. “A real stretch could be a physical or mental disorder grant.”
Wildes explained there are immigration waivers for such grants.
“A smart lawyer would have put the waiver forward knowing that the book ‘Spare’ was coming out to spare him the embarrassment of a stop,” Wildes said. “But if they didn’t put in that waiver, immigration has every right to do this.”
Wildes said in this situation, The Heritage Foundation is not entitled to Prince Harry’s documentation.
“Unless the individual gives you the documentation, it’s proprietary,” Wildes said. “They have a very loosey goosey argument when it comes to equal protection that they (Harry) had preferential treatment. But the point is that it’s foolish to have opined about drug use (…) It’s something that may come up.”
Wildes told Abrams that Harry could be refused admission to the U.S. or he would have to produce one of the waivers on a physical or mental disorder grant.
After leaving the British Royal family, Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, moved to California in 2020. They first lived in Los Angeles before moving to Montecito.