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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I bet the republican nuts are going ape over this guy.
I'm Canadian and I couldn't be happier. The last thing Canada needs are republicans. Unfortunately, our federal government is currently conservative (only because there was no better choice). Being a citizen of the US or Canada is a privilege. But if you want to be POTUS, don't you need to have been born in the US? Why would he think he has a chance?
Oh, just get back in the GOP Klown Kar and beep the horn. Who's gonna be next? I bet they bring back Herman Cain, because he has the experience in government that they say Obama lacks . . .
So, he was born in a foreign country and his father was from a Communist country...hmm.
On behalf of most Canadians....Thank you for not wanting to be Canadian! We support your decision and certainly don't want you to ever call Canada home
But he hasn't renounced his Cuban citizenship! Because Comrade Cruz is the Illegitimate son of Fidel. He had to renounce his Cqnadian citizenship because he failed the intelligence test and is therefore only qualified to act as though he's from Texas.
So if I understand this, attorney Ted Cruz is unclear about exactly which countries he's a citizen of? You'd think this would be something that he should have figured out loooong ago.
Ted Cruz for an intelligent man seems to claim ignorance to the fact that he could have chosen at the age of 18 to be a US citizen? Legal experts say that Cruz is a Canadian citizen regardless of whether he asked for it or not.
Canadians as well as Mexicans born where one parent is and American, can’t have dual citizenship after they turn 18, when the United States discontinued the draft in 1973, moving to an all-volunteer military force, However, the Selective Service System remains in place as a contingency plan; men between the ages of 18 and 25 and the law required to register so that a draft can be readily resumed if needed
Ted Cruz, when you turned 18, did you go to the post office and registered in the “Selective Service System”? If not then you are not a US citizen, because you did not choose to fight for our country in case of emergency… if you registered please show to America your Selective Service Registration Card, your Canadian birth certificate is not good...
Cruz is NOT an American citizen he is only a Canadian anchor baby as he was NOT born in the US on US soil -Cruz is NOT a Canadian as he was not born to any Canadian citizen even if born in Canada-Cruz can then ONLY be a Cuban citizen which he does NOT want to claim even if his father fought in the Communist party for Castro-hence he is only a figment of our immagination as he cannot claim to be a citizen of anywhere
Does anyone else see the hipocrisy? Obama born to an American mother and a Kenyan father is still having the legitimacy of his presidency questioned because some say he was not born in the US. Now a Republican born to an American mother and a Cuban father who admits to being born outside of the US is considering running for president. So where are all these birthers now?
Is there ANY chance of convincing him to renounce his US citizenship and move to Canada? Sorry Canada. I like you, and I don't mean any harm by sending him there. I just don't want him HERE.
Ted's the real loser with this, now he can't get free healthcare!
I thought you had to be born on American soil to be eligible for a presidential run. Let's see his birth certificate. Maybe he was born in Kenya or Indonesia. Or maybe even in Cuba. LOL!
His father is a closet communist sympathizer.
Mr. Cruz demonstrates that he is the type of person who would sell his own mother.
Conservative heads are exploding on how they're going to make this "okay" without saying it's because Cruz is white.
Dear Ted
THANK YOU!!!!
Signed, Canada
Why isn't Donald Trump jumping up and down about this guy really being a Canadian....after all, that IS where he was born?
I thought you had to be born on American soil to be eligible for the presidency of the United States. How hypocritical of the GOP if they back this man's nomination!
I wonder what "The Donald" will have to say about this. Where are all the Birthers when you need one? I forgot, that only applies to Black Dems.
Often it's a good idea to renounce your other citizenships if you run for public office for one country. Andreas Papandreou renounced his US citizenship before becoming a part of the Greek government
Geez, he must have committed voter fraud....a foreigner voting ( gasp) Republican! What a clever cover to subvert our democracy! Can we deport him now?
Princeton BA and Harvard Law Degree, but cannot understand his own citizenship until it is pointed out to him. This is not a good sign.......
Obviously Cruz was born in Cuba and this is a cover up for that fact.
Nothing racks up the clicks like a Cruz story, eh CNN?