In 2011, Ted Cruz told Republicans not to focus on birthright citizenship. Now he's 'absolutely' against it.


For awhile there, no one really knew how Sen. Ted Cruz felt about the 14th Amendment. Thankfully, he put us all out of our misery Wednesday when he came out as "absolutely" in support of ending birthright citizenship, a position recently trumpeted by Donald Trump. "That has been my position from the very first day of my running for the Senate," Cruz told Michael Medved on his radio show, suggesting that he has long wanted to end guaranteed citizenship for all those born on U.S. land whose parents are in the country illegally.
But as political reporter Lachlan Markay pointed out on Twitter, Cruz wasn't actually dancing to that tune back in October 2011, when he was a Senate candidate. In an interview with GOP is For Me, Cruz emphasized that he has spent years of his professional career "defending the Constitution."
"As much as someone may dislike the policy of birthright citizenship, it's in the U.S. Constitution," Cruz stressed. He went on to say that he believes it's "a mistake for conservatives to be focusing on trying to fight what the Constitution says on birthright citizenship."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Ah, how times have changed. Watch the video below. Jeva Lange
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
3 officers killed in Pennsylvania shooting
Speed Read Police did not share the identities of the officers or the slain suspect, nor the motive or the focus of the still-active investigation
-
Fed cuts interest rates a quarter point
Speed Read ‘The cut suggests a broader shift toward concern about cracks forming in the job market’
-
ABC shelves ‘Kimmel Live’ after Trump FCC threat
Speed Read ‘A free and democratic society cannot silence comedians because the president doesn’t like what they say’
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants