Prince Harryâs immigration documents may finally be made public now that he will no longer be shielded by the Biden White House after Donald Trumpâs stunning election victory.
A Trump presidency means the Heritage Foundation is more likely to win its long-running bid for the Duke of Sussexâs records which until now has been blocked by the outgoing presidentâs administration.
Speaking to DailyMail.com after Trumpâs historic victory, Nile Gardiner, Director of The Heritage Foundationâs Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, said he believes there is now a âstrong possibilityâ the think tank will be able to successfully appeal the decision.
Harryâs visa application was first called into question after he admitted in his 2023 memoir to using various drugs recreationally â something he wouldâve been required to disclose in immigration documents.
The right-wing think tank claimed Harryâs admissions could have made him ineligible for entry to the US and sued the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after the agency, which oversees immigration, refused to disclose a Freedom of Information request for Harryâs files.
In September a judge ruled that the files are to remain private for now â a decision Heritage is now appealing.
âI do think thereâs a strong possibility that this could happen. Itâs the presidentâs prerogative,â Gardiner said.
âAlso the new Homeland Security Secretary could order a review of Harryâs immigration application.
âThere are multiple things that could happen but it would be in the best interests of the American people if the Trump administration releases Prince Harryâs records for public scrutiny and Harry should be held to accountâ.
According to Gardiner, the Biden White House âhas bent over backwards to protect Prince Harry and that protection is going to come to an end after the inaugurationâ.
âReleasing Harryâs immigration records would send a very strong message about applying the rule of law equally to everyone.
âThereâs a clear public interest in their release. If Harry has nothing to hide he should support the release of the recordsâ, he added.
Gardiner predicted the files will be made public in the next year and that there would be âgrowing callsâ to do so from the Republican-controlled Congress.
The feud between Trump and Harry dates back to the 2016 election when the former president called Meghan ânastyâ after she called him âdivisiveâ and âmisogynisticâ.
Speaking in February Trump said he âwouldnât protectâ Harry if he won a second term because he âbetrayed the Queenâ.
âThatâs unforgivable. He would be on his own if it was down to me,â Trump said.
Asked about it in an interview with Nigel Farage, Trump said he would take âappropriate actionâ if Harry was found to have lied.
Trumpâs son Eric has been more blunt and has said his father would âhappilyâ deport the Duke â and that Britain wouldnât want him either.
Chris Edelson, a professor of government at American University, told DailyMail.com that âof courseâ Trump could remove Harry.
âNot in a normal system but ours is not normal anymore,â he said
âThe President can do whatever they want as long as people go along with itâ.
But Michael Wildes, a New York based immigration lawyer who worked with former First Lady Melania Trump to get her parents a green card, said that the former Presidentâs views about immigration were more shrewd than people might think.
He said that Trump had a âvery sophisticated view of clients who hail from significant interests and certainly a member of the royal family would be handled more in a sophisticated fashionâ.
âHe could allow Harry to stay as a favor for King Charles,â he said. âHe may just pardon the Prince from any domestic crimes.
Leave a Reply