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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Has Donald Trump received the long form birth certificate from Toronto yet? I suspect there may be a Cuban birth certificate somewhere; Fidel must have been in on the CONSPIRACY!
Come on Ted, don't renounce your citizenship, being Canadian isn't all that bad. The weather is getting warmer and warmer year after year, and since Polar bears are drowning due to lack of sea ice means more beach time.
Renouncing Canadian Citizenship and Proclaiming Texas Citizenship? Careful what you ask for. Then again, he, same as Canadians and unlike his fellow Americans, already has lifetime life insurance all wrapped up, so, he doesn't need the benefits of being a Canadian as he is now a Priveleged American.
This is the first sign that he's going to run for the Republican nomination for president. The next sign will be when we see him applying clown makeup.
Did his parents register the birth? Can he show us his Form FS-240?
"The child's parents should contact the nearest US embassy or consulate to apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States of America (CRBA) to document that the child is a US Citizen." – US Department of State
"If the US embassy or consulate determines that the child acquired US citizenship at birth, a consular officer will approve the CRBA application and the Department of State will issue a CRBA, also called a Form FS-240, in the child's name." – US Department of State
It's a GREAT day for Canada!
Good for Teddy! Who cares? He's still not eligible to run for POTUS. He's the diversion.
You can keep the guy, no sweat here.in Canada.
The GOP and their followers need their own tv show! I would say of the reality genre but they're too far detached. It would have to be a sitcom. Now what would we call said show....?
Why has the foreign-born Cruz not renounced the socialist influence that occurred during his critical formative years? And isn't he also a Cuban citizen by using his father as the deciding factor? Is he really a back-door anchor baby, set up by Castro? There are a LOT of questions that Cruz needs to answer, yet he is being evasive as possible.
Interesting. Ted Cruz' case for eligibility would be based on the interpretation of 'natural-born citizen'. There is no official definition of the term, even though it qualifies and disqualifies people for the presidency, among other things. The widely perceived definition of 'natural-born citizen' is one who is born on U.S. soil. However, it has also been commonly interpreted as meaning someone who had at least one U.S. citizen as a parent as birth. This would be the only interpretation in which Ted Cruz would be eligible to run for president.
What would be very ironic is that, if Cruz were to run for the GOP nomination, the birthers would have to immediately denounce his eligibility because their movement is based around the belief that Obama is not eligible for the presidency because they think he was born in another country, even though one of his parents was also a U.S. citizen at the time of his birth. Even though there is no proof to support Obama not being born in Hawaii as he has always claimed, we actually know Ted Cruz was born in Canada because he has admitted it. So if birthers believe Obama is ineligible because they think he was born in a foreign country to at least one U.S. citizen parents, they obviously have to believe that Cruz is as well, right? =)
Cruz is in almost exactly the same boat as Obama, but a little worse. He IS a Canadian citizen AND an Cuban citizen AND a U.S. citizen. There's nothing wrong with a Congressman or President being a dual (or triple in his case) citizen - we've had others in the past. But he didn't have to take any steps to claim them as he says - he was automatically given all three citizenships the moment he was born. He's a natural-born U.S. citizen, so he can run for President. He's a natural-born Canadian, so he can also run for Parliament. He's a natural-born Cuban, and can serve in the their military. Though he probably shouldn't do all three at the same time.
There's a formal process to go through in each of his other countries to renounce his citizenships with them.
It's incredibly ironic that a Tea Party candidate has his own birther issue.
You cannot be an american by birth if you were born in Canada. Someone on his staff should explain that part to him.
Why would he assume he has US citizenship when he was in Canada for the first 4 years of his life. Why would he not think he has Cuban citizenship? And he is a senator. Would be scary if he won the presidency. "I just assumed now that I am president that no one will terrorize us" Can just hear it now. And I am with Pete in Guilford were the proper forms filled out. Where is the Donald now? And how come it was an issue for President Obama to prove he was born in Hawaii when his mother is an American. Did not hear Cruz come out in support of him and his citizenship base on his mother.
Cruz is a liar/cheat/racist/loudmouth and should e sent to a cuckoo farm! President material?? Malarkey!
Bob C.
It's incredibly ironic that a Tea Party candidate has his own birther issue.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It's also incredibly hypocritical of the teabaggers to have a candidate with birther issues.
Based on these comments, I'm really questioning how anyone voted him into congress in the first place... Let alone a presidential run.
And just to be clear, you can also have Tom Cruise and the Chevy Cruze if you want
Keep him...
He even looks Canadian!
And if you guys invade both Canada and Cuba, he can be President of all 3 countries and not have to worry about renouncing anything or where he was born!
And we collectively save the salaries of Fidel and Stephen Harper!
As if the tea party Klan really cares. All they see is that he is a white man period.
Somebody, please tell me it's not true.
Donald Trump, where are you?
Is this guy for real! He didn't know he was a a Canadian citizen? You'd think a US senator would have figured this out long time ago. I'd fire his staff for dropping the ball on this. If you or your staff can't figure out something simple as this, how are you going to run a country? I know the bar is pretty low but it's not that low. Some one please tell Ted the renouncement has to be witnessed by a consular/embassy official. Just making sure he doesn't screw this up – entire nation is waiting for this moment. Perhaps they'll roll out the red carpet.
You can keep that right wing nut job. Good riddance