General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Ted Cruz is not eligible to be president. [View all]BlueMTexpat
(15,365 posts)somewhat baffling and quite tortured, IMO.
There are two processes by which an individual becomes a US citizen. One becomes a citizen either by birth (a natural process, i.e., natural-born) or by a legal process (naturalization).
The idea of "naturalization at birth" being a legal process is something that makes me seriously wonder about this individual's constitutional law credentials.
While it is true that children born abroad to US citizens were not always considered to be citizens at birth (or even if they were, they still had to fulfill certain residence requirements to retain it), the law changed in the 20th century to clarify that they are indeed. Period. There is simply no legal process involved. The majority view is that the distinction is (or at least should be) between the natural and the legal process.
Much as I hate to consider Cruz as eligible in any way whatsoever for the US presidency, this is the least substantive argument against him. If his mother was not a US citizen by birth or if she specifically renounced her US nationality prior to his birth, that is a different story.