Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who was born in Canada to a mother who held U.S.
citizenship, said he has no problem renouncing his citizenship to the
Great White North, even though there appears to be no legal reason for
him to do so, reports ABC News.com.According to most legal scholars and Cruz himself, the Texas senator is 100 percent American and his Canadian citizenship is a mere technicality that would not prevent him from a possible Presidential run in 2016.
Still, Cruz said he’s ready to sever ties with Canada.
“Now the Dallas Morning News says that I may technically have dual citizenship,” Cruz said.
“Assuming that is true, then sure, I will renounce any Canadian citizenship. Nothing against Canada, but I’m an American by birth and as a U.S. senator, I believe I should be only an American.”
Over the weekend, Cruz released a copy of his birth certificate to the Dallas Morning News, which showed he was, in fact, born in Calgary, Canada, on Dec. 22, 1970.
An expert in Canadian law concluded that meant “he’s a Canadian.”
A spokesperson for Cruz initially denied the senator’s Canadian’s origins.
“Sen. 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,” said Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier.
“To our knowledge, he never had Canadian citizenship, so there is nothing to renounce.”
Many believe Cruz announced his intention to renounce his so-called Canadian citizenship as a way to appease those who might be uncomfortable with his place of birth.
