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Sen. Ted Cruz shares birth certificate amid flap over birth in Canada

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). File/UPI/Kevin Dietsch
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). File/UPI/Kevin Dietsch | License Photo

DALLAS, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, released his birth certificate to the media amid flak the possible 2016 presidential hopeful has taken over his birth in Canada.

The conservative shared his birth certificate with The Dallas Morning News. The document listed his place of birth as Calgary, Alberta, to an American mother, which gave him U.S. citizenship.

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In recent weeks he has faced scrutiny over his Canadian birth, although many experts concluded Cruz qualifies as a natural-born citizen to run for president, should he choose to do so, Politico reported Monday.

Canadian lawyers said Cruz's birth in Canada instantly conferred upon him Canadian citizenship, although a spokeswoman for senator said he was not aware he had dual citizenship.

"Senator 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," Catherine Frazier told the Morning News. "To our knowledge, he never had Canadian citizenship, so there is nothing to renounce."

Cruz, a favorite of the Tea Party movement, has been calling on Republicans to shut down the government to try to defund the Affordable Care Act, colloquially known as Obamacare.

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President Obama, who was born in Hawaii, faced constant attacks from so-called "birthers" claiming Obama wasn't born in the United States. He released his long-form birth certificate in 2011.

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