How would John Jay not be repulsed by such a definition, however high a regard he would have for Cruz’s patriotism and brilliance?
That's the sort of question that good Americans pray on for guidance. I think even the Framers themselves might.
Would they make an exception for such a stalwart patriot like Cruz? Or would they choose to stand by Clause 5 and seek another, more qualified candidate?
The question tears at the soul.
The “an uniform rule of Naturalization” clause in the U.S. Constitution empowers Congress to enact ordinary U.S. statutory law that recognizes as U.S. citizens individuals who are not natural born citizens of the United States of America. Any statute Congress enacts by exercising its narrowly-defined power under this clause is, by definition, a naturalization law, defining at least in part who is, or may become, a naturalized citizen. This is so, even if the words “naturalization” or “naturalized” doesn’t appear in the language of the statute. The citizens so made or so recognized are properly referred to as naturalized citizens. Natural born citizens and 14th Amendment Citizens are the only other types of U.S. citizens, the former by virtue of birth in a U.S. state to parents who are U.S. citizens at the time of birth (this is the only class of individuals whose U.S. citizenship has never been drawn into question—no U.S. law has ever addressed their status), and the latter by meeting the requirements of the 14th Amendment as set forth in the majority opinion in the U.S. Supreme Court case U.S v. Wong Kim Ark (Wong Kim Ark was born in a U.S. state to Chinese parents who were statutorily recognized permanent U.S. residents at the time of his birth but were not themselves U.S. citizens).