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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cuban born canadian, American... sounds funny... where's his real birth certificate
It's ok Ted. We're doing just fine up here since you left. 🙂
Republicans are funny, the claim that Cruz is making is that since his mother is a US citizen, then He too is one. While I"m not sure if the supreme court fully cleared that up. It begs to wonder, if the GOP trully felt that, then why the big fuss on Obama's citizenship? His mother too was a US citizen, and therefore OBAMA also was one just like Cruz. And of course we know, in Obama's case, he one up Cruz by ACTUALLY being born in the US.
Yeah, that's what the ol USA needs. Another Texan to be president. That will solve everything.
The incredible hypocrisy of the GOP; if they allow this guy to run for President, then all the Obama birther claims–even though patently false–wouldn't have applied even if Obama had been born elsewhere (even though he wasn't, unless he has a time machine and went back to place a false newspaper announcement in Hawaii and birth certificate).
His birth certificate is a fake! (Now taking donations for the TCBPAC (Ted Cruz Birther Political Action Committee)
Then he can't be president.
Soooo in what part of this story does he actually take steps to "renouce" his Canadian citizenship? Technically speaking he really shouldn't have been able to be in the Senate before this was cleared.
He's still a jerk!
Where is Trump?
So does he have Cuban citizenship, too?
If Cruz is an American citizen even though he was born in another country because his mother was an American citizen, what does that say to all the Obama birthers out there? Hmmm?
(CNN) – Lest any questions remain about Sen. Ted Cruz's national allegiance, the Texas Republican announced Monday he was renouncing his Canadian citizenship.
He immediately pledged life, liberty, and his future to the Republic of New Texas (RNT).
As much as I like this guy (Other than the God stuff) being Latino, Cuban etc... He is not eligible PERIOD!
Hey, don't worry, the bithers love Cubans. Welcome to America. A word to the wise pick a nut job like a Rand Paul or Sarah Palin or that other phony Michelle Bachman as your V.P. running mate and you'll have the GOP nom sewed up.
Now, after some 40 some odd years with this burden he's going to relinquish it – since he's a Presidential candidate and whatnot. How utterly convenient...
The law states he needs to be born here or on sovereign us soil or be a naturalized citizen for more than 14 years with no residence in other countries. first enacted to stop monarchists from running for president needs to be updated so that only people born on US soil so that we can stop whack jobs like cruz from running
"To our knowledge, he never had Canadian citizenship, so there is nothing to renounce."
If you are born in Canada you are a Canadian citizen and you are issued a Canadian Birth Certificate. Wow! This logic paralyzes the mind.
He is a Cuban. He could only become president of Cuba.
You are too late Mr Cruz............You are NOT eligible for president in the United States !
Jerk, you can keep him!!
["Nothing against Canada, but I'm an American by birth, and as a U.S. Senator, I believe I should be only an American."]
This sentence bugs me. I can't reconcile the notion that Canadians aren't Americans with my knowledge of geography. Logically, his distinction should be "I'm a U.S. Citizen by birth ... I should only be a U.S. Citizen" as both Canada and the US are portions of the North American continent.
America extends from the northern extents past Canada to the southern tip of Cape Horn, yet we collectively keep insisting that it is just the sliver between New York and L.A.
It doesn't mean anything, ultimately. It just bugs me.
Gotta love it. President Obama shows his birth certificate, the birth announcement in the newspaper, but he was born in Kenya and isn't a natural-born Citizen. This idiot is born in Canada, admits it, and IS a natural born citizen? What ia freaking joke...
I doubt that Canada will be sorry to lose a republican from texas. He should renounce his US citizenship as well.
Republicans must have guilty consciences. As a Democrat I would not support Senator Cruz but it is not because of any question of citizenship.