The Biden administration has asked for a delay in handing over Prince Harry's visa documents.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said it needs an extra two weeks to find the Duke of Sussex's immigration records, before a federal judge decides whether or not they should be made public.
The department made its request in a court filing on Sunday, saying it needed more time to respond to Judge Carl Nichols's order to provide more information about why Harry's immigration details should be kept secret.
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, wants the documents to be made public in order to see if Harry lied about his drug use in his visa application.
Joe Biden's administration has asked for a delay in handing over Prince Harry's papers
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The DHS lawyers wrote in the filing: "Defendant has begun the search but searching for and reviewing the records has taken longer than anticipated."
They also said other government agencies may need to review the documents before they can be handed over to the judge.
They added: "Thus, having established good cause, defendant respectfully requests an additional 14 days, up to and including April 4, 2024, to comply with the court's order."
This is the latest twist in the Duke of Sussex's legal battle over his immigration status.
Prince Harry moved to the US in the summer of 2020 with his American wife Meghan Markle.
Nile Gardiner has appeared on GB News many times to discuss the case
GB News
The couple currently live with their two children in Montecito, California.
However, in Prince Harry's memoir Spare, he admitted to formerly using cocaine, cannabis and psychedelic mushrooms.
US immigration authorities routinely ask about drug use on visa applications.
Acknowledging past drug use does not necessarily result in automatic rejection.
The Heritage Foundation filed a Freedom of Information request last year to discover if Harry lied on his visa documents.
Harry and Meghan had their security removed after they moved to the US in 2020GettyNile Gardiner, the director of the think tank, said it was a matter of ensuring that no one got special treatment.
He recently wrote: "Again, Harry has publicly admitted to extensive illegal drug use.
"What do we submit this means? That Harry seems to have received special treatment: the DHS looked the other way if the prince answered truthfully, or it looked the other way if the prince lied on his visa application. Either action would be wrong."
The DHS, under Joe Biden's administration, has refused to release any information to "protect the Duke's privacy".
LATEST ROYAL NEWS:
Prince Harry admitted to using illegal drugs in his memoir Spare PALast month, Judge Carl Nichols told the DHS its arguments were "insufficiently detailed" for him to make a ruling.
He gave the Biden administration until March 21 to submit "declarations that detail, with particularity, the records it is withholding and the particular harm that would arise from public disclosure of them".
In the February hearing, government lawyers argued that Harry's memoir Spare was not proof the duke took drugs.
John Bardo, for the Department of Homeland Security, told the court: "Just saying something in a book doesn't make it true."