Prince Harry is facing renewed scrutiny over his United States visa application after Donald Trump’s administration uncovered new findings.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, moved to California in 2020 with his wife, Meghan Markle, 44, after stepping back from their royal duties in the British Royal Family. Harry’s immigration status in the U.S. has been under question since he admitted in his memoir “Spare” to drug use, including cocaine and marijuana.
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New court records reveal the Department of State, which oversees visa applications, is holding 1,007 documents relating to his case. According to the records, 217 documents are held by the Office of the Secretary of State, the equivalent of the UK foreign secretary, while 517 “potentially responsive records” were found within the Bureau of Consular Affairs.
The docs are now set to be reviewed by a federal judge in Washington to decide what, if any, may be released to the public. This comes after a lawsuit filed in January by the Heritage Foundation, which sued the Department of Homeland Security over access to Harry’s immigration records.
“The number of papers on Harry shows they are monitoring him pretty closely,” the organization’s attorney, Samuel Dewey, explained. “I think we’re going to see documents from Harry talking about the case, but other material may be withheld. Then it will be up to politicians whether that decision is overruled.”
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The legal troubles have prompted questions on how the Trump administration will respond to Harry’s residency in the U.S., after the President, 79, previously being critical of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The Department of State has declined to comment on the filings.