'Donald Trump is right - Prince Harry should be completely honest and ... trends now
A campaigner suing the Department of Homeland Security to obtain Prince Harry's immigration records has urged the prince to be 'honest and truthful' in disclosing how he got into the United States after admitting to taking drugs in his memoir.
Nile Gardiner, the Washington-based head of the Heritage Foundation's Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, said presiding judge Carl Nichols' recent order for the DHS to hand over relevant records was an 'encouraging development' but urged the Duke of Sussex to be transparent.
Arguing it 'ridiculous and ludicrous to argue against the release of immigration records on the grounds of protecting his privacy', he told MailOnline there was a public interest in the US public seeing the records and commended former President Trump 'supporting' the release.
'It's our view that Prince Harry should be completely honest and truthful in applying to live in the United States,' he said.
'Prince Harry is a high-profile British figure who lives in the United States and we believe that everyone should be treated equally in the eyes of law in applying to live in the United States.
'We see this issue as an important issue for everyone who believes in enforcement of US immigration law and for anyone who believes the importance of the US-UK special relationship as well.'
In the wake of the publication of Spare last year, right-wing think tank The Heritage Foundation sued the DHS for access to Prince Harry's files. The US routinely asks about drug use on its visa applications, though acknowledgement of past drug use does not necessarily bar people from entering or staying in the country.
Last month, ex-President Donald Trump (pictured during a party event on March 5 in Florida) said that he would not protect Harry if he were elected again in November
Since June, the Duke's immigration status has been scrutinized after conservative group the Heritage Foundation sent a public-information request to the Department of Homeland Security for Harry's records (pictured with Meghan Markle in British Columbia, February 14)
Nile Gardiner urged the prince to be 'honest and truthful', and stressed the public interest in the case
The comments come as Trump-appointed judge Carl Nichols on Thursday called for the DHS to hand over the records, asking the agency to provide declarations explaining the 'particular harm' of disclosing the application.
Judge Carl Nichols told the DHS that its arguments so far were 'insufficiently detailed' for him to make a decision.
The Heritage Foundation is also seeking the release of the documents as part of a Freedom of Information request it filed last year.
Nile Gardiner heralded the decision, urging the Biden administration to do more to ensure the records are made available in the name of 'transparency and accountability from the United States government'.
'There's strong support among the American people for the release of Prince Harry's immigration records,' he said.
'This case has become one of the most high-profile and significant immigration-related legal cases in recent US history and so a lot of Americans are following this case and there's a great deal of public interest in the outcome.'
Mr Gardiner continued: 'It's very important that the American people can have faith in the immigration system and how it is applied.
'Anyone who applies for a US visa has to be honest and truthful and we want to establish whether or not Prince Harry was honest and truthful in his application and whether US officials gave him preferential treatment.
'These are important questions that need to be answered and the Biden administration has refused to answer any questions, which is why we sued them for the release of these records.'
Last week's development followed a hearing in Washington in February in which Judge Nichols heard from DHS and the Heritage Foundation.
The foundation is seeking to release the material and establish whether the DHS applied leniency for the royal after he was allowed into the US after admitting to taking drugs in his memoir and in TV interviews.
The DHS has said the prince may have
