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.
You DO NOT automatically become a US citizen just because you were born to a US parent. You have the entitlement, but must apply for the citizenship papers. It is a long and complicated process that is by no means "automatic".
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This just proves that a politician, and I use this word with revulsion, will do or say anything to get elected. I wish I had dual citizenship with Spain so I could visit my great grandparents birth place, and travel back and forth with no problem. It is a shame that there will always be ignorant sheep who vote for these shysters be they democrats or republicans.
Cruz is right wing.
Obama is left wing.
I guess birds of a feather fly together....NOT
BTW: As a moderate I don't want either one running this country.
I cannot wait for the next election as well.
What a relief! Good riddance- the US can keep him.
I see the liberal whack jobs are already here. Seems they are all birthers now!
I'm sure that Canada appreciates that Senator Cruz is planning to contain his nonsense south of the 49th.
Better this wacko is with you than with us!
if i were him, i'd've kept my canadian options open.
Not the swiftest guy if he didn't understand how dual citizenship works. I'd I never heard of him anyway. He's a Tea Party person – what can you expect.
Come on birthers. Go ahead, I dare you! ("Ted Cruz got his birth certificate from a street vendor in Hawaii. Same street vendor who made up Obama's "fake" birth certificate")
What? Nothing! Funny how it doesn't come up when it's convenient for you lots.
I appreciate that he did the symbolic thing of renouncing claims to Canadian citizenship, but he has lied and said he was a US citizen at birth. If he is a citizen because he was born in Canada and his parents or one parent was a US citizen, his parents would absolutely have had to file paperwork to make him a citizen. It's true he was not "naturalized," but he was not a citizen by "birth," either, he is a citizen in the third category, by "parentage." Same as John McCain who was born in Panama.
He can 'renounce' where he was born from now till doomsday – he is not, by law, a natural born citizen and therefore he is unable to run for President. He is already showing what a low-life game player he is.
Having raised 3 foster children, I have seen where the first 4 years are the most influential on a person's identity. Cruz was raised in a socialist setting, and yet he can't find the words to renounce his socialist past, because of this.
As a grateful Canadian, I am glad to see him give up any rights to citizenship here. We would never want anyone claiming to be a Republican holding or running for any government office here. We have enough of our own bozos thanks very much.
Too bad. I was really hoping he'd get President here and Prime Minister of Canada at the same time. Then we could finally annex Canada. We haven't acquired any significant amount of land since 1867 and it would be nice to finally start spreading out again.
Congratulations Sen. Cruz. I had the unfortunate experience of living in Canada as an adult. Canada is like Naomi Campbell, physically beautiful but cold, not terribly bright and crazy. As the many ignorant, hysterical and ideological posts by Canadians on this message board show–it is no where any sane person wants to be. You got out in time and you will not miss your citizenship, I promise you.
Calgary Cruz is unfit for office not just because he was born/raised in a socialist country but because he supports the tea-party which the vast majority of voters reject..
Why should Cruz get a pass? Obama didn't, there are still morons to this day that deny he is American.
slm416, exactly. The fact that he is renouncing it, means it did apply, and hence invalidates his claim of being a natural born citizen. So he can kiss his chances to be president goodbye.
he'll be sourly disappointed once he realizes he has no hope in 'ell of being his party's nominee for prez........and by then he'll look so silly neither Canada or Cuba will want him back. Life in the bubble is great......until it pops.
According to the statements coming out of the RNC in 2008 about John McCain, Cruz does not meet the critieria for "natural born." The RNC position in 2008 had been that although McCain was born in Panama, he was born on U.S. soil, in a military base hospital. They went on to say that had McCain been born in a local Panamanian hospital, then he would not have met the criteria for "natural born", which has long been held to mean "born on U.S. soil."
P,
Actually, being born to a US parent DOES automatically make you a US citizen by birth. There is no "application" to actually become a citizen, nor is it difficult. You are applying to get paperwork (which serves as your birth certificate) that certifies that fact. The only thing needed is proof that the parent is a US citizen. I know because I was born outside of the states to an American parent and so was my first child.
When I became a citizen in 1978, renouncing our previous citizenship was part of the swearing-in ceremony.
Chicago
I see the liberal whack jobs are already here. Seems they are all birthers now!
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No such thing as liberal birthers. It's called satire.
They're mocking Obama birthers. The right always takes all remarks way too seriously. Humor is wasted on the right.