Ted Cruz set himself apart from much of the 2016 GOP field—including Donald Trump—by saying on Wednesday that he'd support amending the Constitution as a way to end birthright citizenship.
Trump set off a firestorm of debate among 2016 Republicans after unveiling an immigration agenda over the weekend that calls for an end to birthright citizenship, a right enshrined in the Constitution by the 14th amendment, which grants citizenship to children of illegal immigrants born in America.
Calling for an end to birthright citizenship is not new for the Republican field. Cruz has been on the record since at least 2012 saying that the U.S. should stop the policy of granting automatic citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants at birth. Other 2016 GOP contenders, including Bobby Jindal, Rick Santorum, Ben Carson, and Lindsey Graham, have either criticized or voiced support for ending the policy.
Cruz, however, went a step further than many 2016 Republicans when he suggested that he would be open to altering the Constitution to get rid of blanket birthright citizenship, during a radio interview with Michael Medved on Wednesday.
Asking if Cruz supported Trump's immigration agenda, Medved said: "What about the most controversial element of his plan, which is getting rid of birthright citizenship—saying to children who are born here in the United States of parents who are here illegally, 'You can't become American citizens'? Would you support a change in the 14th amendment if necessary to achieve that?"
