Key facts
- Six current US senators were born outside the United States.
- US senators are not required to be natural-born citizens.
- Senators must be at least 30 years old, a US citizen for nine years, and a state resident.
- Ted Cruz was born in Calgary, Canada, to a Cuban father and American mother.
- Michael Bennet was born in New Delhi, India, to parents working for the US State Department.
- Tammy Duckworth was born in Bangkok, Thailand, to an American father and Thai mother.
Six current US senators were born outside the United States, a fact permissible under US law which does not require senators to be natural-born citizens. To hold office, a senator must be at least 30 years old, a US citizen for at least nine years, and reside in the state they wish to represent.
According to the US Senate Historical Office, a total of 74 senators throughout history have been born abroad. Many of these individuals were US citizens at birth due to their parents' status, such as American parents working in government positions overseas.
Among the six current senators born outside the US are:
Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), born in New Delhi, India, while his father was working for the US State Department. He obtained US citizenship at birth.
Ted Cruz (R-Texas), born in Calgary, Canada, to a Cuban father and an American mother from Delaware. He held both Canadian and US citizenship at birth and later renounced his Canadian citizenship.
Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), born in Bangkok, Thailand, to an American father and a Thai mother. She also held US citizenship at birth.
Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), born in Fukushima, Japan, who moved to the US at age 8 and became a naturalized citizen.
Former New York Senator Robert Wagner, born in Germany, is cited as a notable foreign-born senator who became a naturalized US citizen and championed the 1935 Wagner Act.