What if Congress passes a law which naturalizes anyone born to a mother with green eyes? Does this make their children "natural born citizens"?
(And please do not come back with "congress would never pass such a law." That is beside the point. Congress HAS the power to pass such a law. The point is whether or not Congress can make "natural born citizen" mean whatever it wants to. )
Article II specifies “citizen” at the time of adoption of the constitution, and “natural born citizen” thereafter.
“Citizen” necessarily encompasses “naturalized citizen” as well as “natural born citizen”. If a naturalization statute creates “natural born citizens” then there is no need for Art. II’s grandfather clause, “citizen” would have sufficed.
Cruz is a US citizen by US naturalization statute.