Sen. Cruz formally gives up Canadian citizenship

Yahoo/AP ^ | June 10, 2014 | WILL WEISSERT

[kingattax]

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Canada-born U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has made good on a promise to renounce his birth country's citizenship — doing so amid speculation he could make a run at the White House in 2016.

Spokeswoman Catherine Frazier said Cruz's action became official May 14 and that Texas' junior senator received written confirmation at his home in Houston on Tuesday. She said the tea-party-backed Republican "is pleased to have the process finalized."

"Being a U.S. Senator representing Texas, it makes sense he should be only an American citizen," Frazier said in an email.

Cruz, 43, was born in Calgary, Alberta, in 1970, while his parents were working in the oil business there. His mother, Eleanor, is from Delaware, while his father, Rafael, is a Cuban became a U.S. citizen in 2005.

[HMS Surprise]

So you admit it’s a question... Now what?

[re_nortex]

Not only is Ted Cruz 100% American and qualified to become President of these United States, he's more thoroughly Texan than any number of those fortunate to have been born here such as Willie Nelson, Matthew McConaughey, Wendy Davis, Bob Schieffer, Tommy Lee Jones and other despicable leftists who have repudiated Texas values. Likewise, the great Patriot Ted Nugent, though born a Yankee, has fully embraced the Conservatism that defines Texas!

Go Ted go! Both of 'em! Woo hoo! Take America back! God Bless Texas!

[FlingWingFlyer]

Ditto what you said.

[FlingWingFlyer]

At least Ted’s father wasn’t an America-hating, Kenyan communist.

[JRandomFreeper]

Done to death indeed.

It ended in a zot for one of the 'Cruz is ineligible' trolls.

I'm ok with that.

/johnny

[Christie at the beach]

Ted Cruz is a natural born citizen eligible for the presidency. Those born to an eligible US citizen outside of the US are citizens at birth. Go, Ted!

[Nifster]

I stand with Ted

[precisionshootist]

"Giving up a foreign citizenship doesn’t miraculously turn him into a NBC. You're right. It doesn't. Even if Cruz had left things as they were, he'd still be an NBC. "

We can argue about the definition of NBC all day but what is certain is the founders wrote the qualification to ensure 100% allegiance to the United States. That being agreed upon I think we can conclude that a person born on foreign soil to only one US citizen parent who later has to renounce his citizenship to that foreign country would in no way qualify as a person who is certain to have soul allegiance to the United States.

Even without a definition in the Constitution, logic and common sense tells us Ted Cruz is NOT a natural born citizen.

[okie01]

That being agreed upon I think we can conclude that a person born on foreign soil to only one US citizen parent who later has to renounce his citizenship to that foreign country would in no way qualify as a person who is certain to have soul allegiance to the United States.

Sure. We could conclude that.

But we would be wrong.

Under American citizenship law, Cruz was a citizen-at-birth. That Canada considered him a Canadian citizen is of no moment.

The citizenship laws of other nations have no relevance to America's citizenship laws. Nor should they. Cruz never had to "renounce" his Canadian citizenship because he has always been an American citizen. On the other hand, he could've formally accepted his Canadian citizenship, thereby renouncing his American citizenship.

But he didn't take that step.

Cruz was never "naturalized", therefore he is a citizen-at-birth; a natural-born citizen, if you wish, as American citizenship law recognizes only the two forms.

[okie01]

That being agreed upon I think we can conclude that a person born on foreign soil to only one US citizen parent who later has to renounce his citizenship to that foreign country would in no way qualify as a person who is certain to have soul allegiance to the United States.

Sure. We could conclude that.

But we would be wrong.

Under American citizenship law, Cruz was a citizen-at-birth. That Canada considered him a Canadian citizen is of no consequence.

The citizenship laws of other nations have no relevance to America's citizenship laws. Nor should they. Cruz never had to "renounce" his Canadian citizenship because he has always been an American citizen. On the other hand, he could've formally accepted his Canadian citizenship, thereby renouncing his American citizenship.

But he didn't do that.

Cruz was never "naturalized", therefore he is a citizen-at-birth; a natural-born citizen, if you wish, as American citizenship law recognizes only the two forms.

[faucetman]

You said:”There is no constitutional requirement for a US Citizen to have 2 US Citizen parents at birth to be a ‘Natural Born Citizen’”

Your sentence makes no sense. The Constitutional requirement is that you have to BE a Natural Born Citizen. The framers all knew exactly what it meant, that’s why they used the term.

Just because people today ascribe their own meanings doesn’t change the fact that the framers knew exactly what they were doing.

We all used to know what “alone” and “is” meant until Bill Clinton came along. Now there is doubt, but the real meaning of the words hasn’t changed.

If you really want to know the truth about NBC read this:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2840767/posts

[SoConPubbie]

Your sentence makes no sense. The Constitutional requirement is that you have to BE a Natural Born Citizen. The framers all knew exactly what it meant, that’s why they used the term.

No they did not.

They did not all agree on what it meant.

[SoConPubbie]

You said:”There is no constitutional requirement for a US Citizen to have 2 US Citizen parents at birth to be a ‘Natural Born Citizen’”

Your sentence makes no sense.

Only if you are being purposefully obtuse.

[SoConPubbie]

If you really want to know the truth about NBC read this:

I've read through the arguments the contend that it "Natural Born Citizen" requires 2 US Citizen parents at birth.

Why would I want to read through this again. Your "proof" always leads back to books/meanings outside of the US Constitution, US Law, and SCOTUS Rulings.

There is no legal definition provided by any of US Jurisprudence, only the hazy, murky proof of documents that have no legal jurisdiction in the United States today.

Constitutionally AND legally, you don't have a leg to stand on.

[SoConPubbie]

We can argue about the definition of NBC all day but what is certain is the founders wrote the qualification to ensure 100% allegiance to the United States. That being agreed upon I think we can conclude that a person born on foreign soil to only one US citizen parent who later has to renounce his citizenship to that foreign country would in no way qualify as a person who is certain to have soul allegiance to the United States.

Sorry, but your opinion does not trump the US Constitution, US Law, or SCOTUS rulings and none of those have any such definition. Not even close.

[SoConPubbie]

So you admit it’s a question... Now what?

No, I do not.

Until either the US Constitution is amended, a new US Law is passed, or a new SCOTUS ruling is completed defining it in the fashion/meaning that you think it should be, Ted Cruz is eligible to be POTUS as he is a "Natural Born Citizen".

[SoConPubbie]

I guess one was out of luck for president if your dad died before you were born, or if your mom was raped by an unknown assailant, or lied about your mysterious, and long gone father.

Yes, but that makes too much sense for those invested in this idea since they are trying to get Obama with this silly approach and those supporting Rand Paul and looking for anything to hit Ted Cruz with.

[okie01]

For what is clearly a constitutionalist website, there are certainly a lot of folks around here who could stand a refresher course on the document.

Especially when it comes to presidential eligibility and citizenship law.

[SoConPubbie]

Actually this subject has been discussed thoroughly on Obama threads. Obama didn’t qualify. His father was not and never wanted to be a citizen. Cruz’ father became a citizen.

Actually, some of the "proof" these losers keep posting to support their position actually states that only the Father had to be a citizen.

[ansel12]

So the one remaining question is whether Ted Cruz was a citizen at birth. That’s an easy one. The Nationality Act of 1940 outlines which children become “nationals and citizens of the United States at birth.” In addition to those who are born in the United States or born outside the country to parents who were both citizens — or, interestingly, found in the United States without parents and no proof of birth elsewhere — citizenship goes to babies born to one American parent who has spent a certain number of years here.

That single-parent requirement has been amended several times, but under the law in effect between 1952 and 1986 — Cruz was born in 1970 — someone must have a citizen parent who resided in the United States for at least 10 years, including five after the age of 14, in order to be considered a natural-born citizen. Cruz’s mother, Eleanor Darragh, was born in Delaware, lived most of her life in the United States, and gave birth to little Rafael Edward Cruz in her 30s. Q.E.D.

So why all the brouhaha about where Obama was born, given that there’s no dispute that his mother, Ann Dunham, was a citizen? Because his mother was 18 when she gave birth to the future president in 1961 and so couldn’t have met the 5-year-post-age-14 residency requirement. Had Obama been born a year later, it wouldn’t have mattered whether that birth took place in Hawaii, Kenya, Indonesia, or anywhere else. (For those born since 1986, by the way, the single citizen parent must have only resided here for five years, at least two of which must be after the age of 14.)

In short, it may be politically advantageous for Ted Cruz to renounce his Canadian citizenship before making a run at the White House, but his eligibility for that office shouldn’t be in doubt. As Tribe and Olson said about McCain — and could’ve said about Obama, or the Mexico-born George Romney, or the Arizona-territory-born Barry Goldwater — Cruz “is certainly not the hypothetical ‘foreigner’ who John Jay and George Washington were concerned might usurp the role of Commander in Chief.”