Obligatory: Canadian Ted Cruz Releases His Birth Certificate

Katie Pavlich | August 19, 2013 11:30 AM

Did you know that Texas Senator Ted Cruz is.... a Canadian? After weeks of Ted Cruz birtherism arising in the political sphere as rumors of a possible 2016 presidential run continue to mount, Cruz released his birth certificate to the Dallas Morning News Monday.

Sen. Ted Cruz's birth certificate shows he was born in Canada in 1970. It was released exclusively to The Dallas Morning News.

His mother was born in the United States (making Cruz a citizen by birth), his father fled Castro's Cuba. Bottom line: Cruz is eligible to run for president. He's also eligible to run for the Canadian Parliament.

Born in Canada to an American mother, Ted Cruz became an instant U.S. citizen. But under Canadian law, he also became a citizen of that country the moment he was born.

Unless the Texas Republican senator formally renounces that citizenship, he will remain a citizen of both countries, legal experts say.

That means he could assert the right to vote in Canada or even run for Parliament. On a lunch break from the U.S. Senate, he could head to the nearby embassy — the one flying a bright red maple leaf flag — pull out his Calgary, Alberta, birth certificate and obtain a passport.

The question now is: What country needs him more? I'd say the United States.