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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this guy's an IDIOT
He's desperate
Can someone explain how you can be born in Canada and still be a naturally born citizen of the U.S.? Is not your birthplace the main determinant of your citizenship?
Don't you have to be born in the US for you to qualify? Or is Canada one of US 50 states? Or is this guy delusional?
Renounce Canadian citizenship? You mean...with its free health care and all?
I'm totally ok with this. But it's a lot more of a "controversy" than the President Obama birther issue. So anyone who still holds that issue intact, let's forget it. 'Cause if Mr. Obama was even slightly considered an issue as a Hawaiian birth, then an off-the-soil birth should make people froth at the mouths. End birther arguments, post haste.
Did he renounce his communist Cuban heritage?
How about renouncing his intelligence.It seems limited by his comments.Never will be qualified to be president.A huge jerk.
I would like to know if this man ever supported the birther movement against Obama. If so by his definition he doesn't qualify.
He still has to renounce his Cuban citizenship (if he hasn't already), then in my opinion will qualify.
Well he'll still never get Tea Party birther support -- What he will-why?
But how do we know it's the real birth certificate? We need to send Donald Trump to Canada to check it out. Maybe they'll keep him.
...that breezy, windy sound you hear right now is everyone in Canada gasping in relief.
Oh the hypocrisy...it is amazing the way the Republican "brain" works.
So he is a Republican AND a Texan? Thank you God.
Canada is relieved. One less conservative Bible-basher, pro-corporate ripping off the little man, war is great nutjob gone.
Looking forward to the festival of hypocrisy that will be exhibited by the republicans and tea party supporters of the CanadianTed Cruz if they bring him forward as a presidential nominee.
how can he be president if not born in america? i wonder if the tea party would have a problem with this? (no)
Finally, this dark chapter in Canadian history has come to an end – you guys can keep him.
He is not eligible, no matter what he says or what he denounces. Period.
Interesting. Birthers have to oppose him because they say Obama is not eligible because he was born outside the US to an American citizen mother. Cruz definitely was born outside of the US to an American citizen mother. Of course they won't, because most of them are hypocrites and many of them are racist.
I don't think someone can renounce what they didn't have. Canadian Citizenship is not based like the American system. Just because you came into the world on Canadian soil doesn't make you a citizen, one or more of the parents would have had to have held citizenship. If Cruz was to check with the Canadian Immigration, he might find that he was never dual to being with.
As someone who does not want this man to become president, let me say, leave him alone. What a bunch of nonsense. Does someone really think he's going to give important secrets to Canada and that it would matter if he did? We already share everyone's phone records with the English-speaking governments, for pete's sake. Then again, this is what Republicans get for spinning absurd lies about Obama's background.
Too late there Ted – a Hispanic that was born in Canada??? I'm sure Donald has heard about this already.
Born to an American mother and a foreign national father. Well then, he's just like Obama. Calling all birthers!
If he is from TX, he should not qualify for the presidential candidate. We had one too many recently that almost dragged us into poverty.