Huh? Conservative Senator Ted Cruz no longer Canadian

File Photo. From KCPQ.



DALLAS -- It's official. Sen. Ted Cruz is now a citizen of the United States -- and the United States only.

If you remember, the Texas Republican was born in Canada to an American mother and a Cuban father. As such, he was a dual citizen -- an American because of his mother, and Canadian because the country, like America, grants automatic citizenship to anyone born there.

No harm in that, except Cruz is considered a potential candidate for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination.

And when the news of his dual citizenship surfaced last year, thanks to a Dallas Morning News piece, some began to question his eligibility to become president. (In truth, that was never in jeopardy. Most legal experts said Cruz qualifies as a "natural born citizen," a requirement for the White House job, as stated in the Constitution.)

The newspaper piece came as a revelation to Cruz as well.

"Because I was a U.S. citizen at birth, because I left Calgary when I was 4 and have lived my entire life since then in the U.S., and because I have never taken affirmative steps to claim Canadian citizenship, I assumed that was the end of the matter," Cruz said at the time.

Then he took immediate steps to renounce his Canadian citizenship.

Well, that process was formally completed last month, and he received a letter in the mail this week telling him so,the newspaper reported Tuesday.

"This is to certify that the person named above has formally renounced Canadian citizenshp and pursuant to the Citizenship Act will cease to be a citizen on" May 14, 2014, the letter read.

"it's official y'all," tweeted his spokeswoman Catherine Frazier.