Sen. Ted Cruz releases mother's birth certificate

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- In an effort to quell doubts about his citizenship, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, released a copy of his mother's birth certificate to prove she was born in the United States.

Cruz handed the birth certificate over to Breitbart News on Friday, which showed that his mother, Eleanor Darragh was born in Delaware. The move comes after Cruz's fellow Republican presidential hopefuls cast doubts in recent days about the Texas Senator's citizenship.

Cruz was born in Alberta, Canada, but argues that a child of a U.S. citizen born abroad is considered a U.S. citizen themselves.

The term "natural born citizen," mentioned in the U.S. Constitution under the requirements to hold presidential office, is not explicitly defined. However, under the Naturalization Act of 1790, it would appear Cruz is in the clear. Still, PolitiFact reported last year, because the courts have not weighed in, some argue there is room for debate.

Front-runner Donald Trump, who has expressed long-held doubts about the citizenship status of President Barack Obama, reignited the issue this week, calling Cruz's situation "very precarious."

Trump was joined throughout the week by conservative pundit Ann Coulter as well as fellow presidential candidates Carly Fiorina and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

Even Sen. John McCain, who had previously faced similar doubts because he was born in Panama, said he didn't know if Cruz could be considered a natural born citizen.

Cruz has publicly wrestled with the issue before. In 2013, shortly after he was elected to his first Senate term, he sought to silence doubters by releasing his birth certificate. The following year, when news surfaced that Cruz held dual citizenship in the United States and Canada, he formally renounced his Canadian citizenship.