US President Donald Trump has ruled out the possibility of deporting Prince Harry, despite ongoing legal scrutiny over the British royal’s US immigration status, according to The New York Post.
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), demanding the release of Harry’s visa records. The group argues that he may have concealed past drug use, which could have disqualified him from obtaining a US visa. They pointed to Harry’s memoir, Spare, in which he admitted to using cocaine, cannabis, and psychedelics.
However, Trump made it clear he has no plans to take action against the Duke of Sussex.
“I don’t want to do that,” Trump told The New York Post on Friday. “I’ll leave him alone. He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.”
Jibe at Meghan?
Harry and Meghan Markle, who relocated to California in 2020, have been outspoken critics of Donald Trump. Meghan previously described him as “divisive” and “misogynistic”, while Trump has repeatedly mocked Prince Harry, according to The New York Post.
“I think poor Harry is being led around by the nose,” Trump said, referring to the Duke’s relationship with Markle.
In contrast, Trump spoke highly of Prince William, whom he met privately in Paris in December during the Notre-Dame Cathedral reopening.
“I think William is a great young man,” he said.
Legal battle
The Heritage Foundation contends that U.S. law mandates visa applicants to disclose any past drug use, and Nile Gardiner, a director at the organization, asserts that it remains uncertain whether Prince Harry was truthful on his application.
“Anyone who applies to the United States has to be truthful on their application, and it is not clear that is the case with Prince Harry,” Gardiner told the London Daily Telegraph.
The group has also accused the Biden administration of granting Harry special treatment, as his visa status has not been publicly disclosed.