Ted Cruz Was Not Born in the U.S., But is an American Citizen
The Claim
Senator Ted Cruz was born in the U.S.
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Emerging story
Over the Independence Day holiday, social media users posted an image that appeared to be from Ted Cruz, claiming that he was born American. Some sharing the post accused him of lying. Others suggested he was born in Cuba.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar discovered that this Independence Day was not the first time Ted Cruz's birthplace has been called into question:
On Cruz’s website, the birthplace of his mother and father are stated, but not his birthplace. According to the site, Ted’s mother, Eleanor, was born in Delaware to an Irish and Italian working-class family. Ted’s father, Rafael, was born in Cuba and fled to the United States to attend the University of Texas at Austin in 1957.
Senator Cruz released his birth certificate to the Dallas News.
According to his birth certificate, Senator Cruz was born Rafael Edward Cruz on December 22, 1970 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. According to theguardian.com, his father was not a U.S. citizen at the time of Cruz’s birth, but his mother never gave up her U.S. citizenship. She had been living in Canada under a work permit and at no point applied for Canadian citizenship.
Cruz instantly acquired U.S. citizenship when he was born to his American mother and moved to the United States at the age of four. Because he was born in Canada, he was also automatically a Canadian citizen.
Even though he was born in Canada, Senator Cruz was definitely born an American citizen. The question to be debated is whether or not he is a "natural-born citizen," as the Constitution requires for someone to become president of the United States. Some believe that being born to an American mother automatically made him a natural-born citizen. Others believe he is not a natural-born citizen because he was not born in the U.S. The argument is about how “natural-born” is defined or not defined in the U.S. Constitution.
