What law was changed between 2008 and 2016 to permit Canadian born Ted Cruz to be eligible for the presidency?
The law was written in 1790:
The
Naturalization Act of 1790, passed three years after the
U.S. Constitution was written, said that “the children of citizens of the United States, that may be born beyond sea, or out of the limits of the United States, shall be considered as natural born citizens."
That makes sense. A couple expecting a baby who decides to go to France for a vacation and winds up giving birth in France doesn't have a French baby. It's an American citizen born overseas.
Cruz, who
came to the U.S. at age 4, is a
citizen by birth because his mother was a U.S. citizen when he was born. For that reason, legal scholars argue that he can likely be president
Ted Cruz's Presidential Eligibility - FactCheck.org
He was born in Canada but to a US mother. That's all that matters.