Ted Cruz renounces Canadian citizenship in statement
(CNN) – Lest any questions remain about Sen. Ted Cruz's national allegiance, the Texas Republican announced Monday he was renouncing his Canadian citizenship.
Cruz was born in Canada to an American mother and a Cuban father, and over the weekend he released his birth certificate to put to rest any questions about his background. In an analysis, the Dallas Morning News speculated Cruz – considered a potential candidate for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination – was a dual citizen of the United States and Canada.
"Because I was a U.S. citizen at birth, because I left Calgary when I was 4 and have lived my entire life since then in the U.S., and because I have never taken affirmative steps to claim Canadian citizenship, I assumed that was the end of the matter," Cruz wrote in his statement.
"Now the Dallas Morning News says that I may technically have dual citizenship. Assuming that is true, then sure, I will renounce any Canadian citizenship," he continued. "Nothing against Canada, but I'm an American by birth, and as a U.S. Senator, I believe I should be only an American."
As speculation ramps up about Cruz's political future, some have questioned his eligibility to become president. Most legal experts have said Cruz qualifies as a "natural born citizen," a requirement for the White House job, as stated in the Constitution.
In the Dallas Morning News Sunday, legal experts told the paper that Cruz is not only eligible for president in the United States, he's also technically a Canadian citizen and can even run for Parliament. Unless he renounces his citizenship there, he could also obtain a Canadian passport, according to the newspaper.
The senator's office, however, said Cruz has never embraced his legal rights in Canada.
"Senator Cruz became a U.S. citizen at birth, and he never had to go through a naturalization process after birth to become a U.S. citizen," spokeswoman Catherine Frazier told the newspaper. "To our knowledge, he never had Canadian citizenship, so there is nothing to renounce."
CNN's Jim Acosta, Ashley Killough and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.
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Nothing wrong with this at all. Anyone who thinks this is a big deal at all needs to get over it. I'm actually wondering if this is just another article where the media is throwing out bait just to get people riled up, but in reality nobody cares.
How about, we don't care 'cause we're voting for Hillary anyway?
Lucky Canada!!
hahahaha sweet irony
How do we know that birth certificate is authentic? LOL
So "in his mind" is the important thing to him. Not the actual law?
Figures.
GOP clown #3 preparing for his FOX only primary show...
To make this binding, he probably has to do it a Canadian embassy. That's the process an American would have to follow, to renounce citizenship, anyway. Merely making a public statement of renunciation has no legal effect.
Keep doing what you have to in order to appeal to the extremists in your party Mr. Cruz. It will only assure the democrats will gain control and keep control. Yes I know you and your republican pals are doing what you can to limit voting rights, but it won't work. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
He renounced the wrong country. Canada can have him back any time, although that might not be fair to Canada.
Oh...so he is a natural born american because he was born to american parents in a foreign contry? So lets assume Obama was born in Kenya . Wouldn't he still be a natural born citizen since his mother was american? Or are you only a natural born when both parents are american?
"To our knowledge, he never had Canadian citizenship, so there is nothing to renounce."
"Nothing against Canada, but I'm an American by birth, and as a U.S. Senator, I believe I should be only an American."
He is also a Canadian by birth.
He has one US citizen as a parent and was not born in the United States.
If you took issue with Mr. Obama's Citizenship, Mr. Cruz is one step even further.
go at it Birthers, this one's on you....
Doesn't the law say that you must be born on American soil to be president?
No surprise here – a man who's so much a panderer to his radical base that he'd put diplomatic insult ahead of statesmanship. Those of us who've been around for awhile have seen the loss of public servants with principles and a dedication to the American people. Cruz proves that he has only one principle – self-promotion – and the 97% of the American people who don't support him be damned.
Let Ted McCarthy Cruz run with the other republican clowns that cant win. It will make for great comedy
He is doing all this for a run at the White House. Well it is obvious the ignorant people who support him are racist since they are not raising a stink about his birth certificate like they have done to Obama who was actually born on US Soil. It don't matter, though. Cruz won't be nominated and even if he is, he won't win, especially if Hillary runs.
GOP in 2012: Black guy that we don't like was born in Kenya and therefore is illegally our President!
GOP in 2013: White guy (with a little bit of Cuban for the Hispanic vote) admits to not being born in the US and is totally our nominee for 2016!
But no matter. he is still NOT a Natural born citizen according to US law. and is not legally eligible to be president.
Trust me: Canada doesn't want him anyway.
I'm sure Canada is crushed.
Did he release the long form certificate? Was his birth announcement faked? Is he really a Canadian Socialist serving as the anti-Christ?
If you are an Obama hater who doubts our POTUS's right to be POTUS and not this man's you might be a racist. At least Obama was born on American soil (yes, Hawai'i was a state in 1961), Funny how the same people who hate Obama will likely not say a word when it comes to the idealogue.
So if you renounce one of your citizenships because it doesn't serve your political interest, what are you willing to do with your other for political interests?
This guy is so hilarious, on an NPR broadcast he stated that his father came to America but doing everything the right way. He is one of those people that are totally against almost any type of immigration reform, but in the same broadcast he tells the story of how his Father bribed somebody to get him papers to leave Cuba. Really Mr. Cruz, you must have missed what you said sir, that it called illegal!
He's not American.
The good people of Canada certainly came out ahead on this situation. The state of Texas couldn't get lucky enough to get rid of him!