The Founding Fathers’ original thinking on this issue was embodied in the Naturalization Act of 1790: “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”.
The first major work of exposition of the Constitution was written by jurist, historian and confidant of Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton and George Washington, William Rawle. President Washinton appointed William Rawle to be the first U.S. Attorney in Pennsylvania.
Rawle wrote in his book “A View of the Constitution of the United States” (2nd Ed. 1829): “…he who was subsequently born a citizen of a state became at the moment of his birth a citizen of the United States. Therefore every person born within the United States, its territories or districts whether the parents are citizens or aliens is a natural born citizen in the sense of the Constitution and entitled to all the rights and privileges appertaining to that capacity.”
And the current law of the land qualifies Senator Cruz as a natural born citizen: 8 U.S.C. § 1401: “The following shall be nationals and citizens of the United States at birth:
(g) a person born outside the geographical limits of the United States and its outlying possessions of parents one of whom is an alien, and the other a citizen of the United States who, prior to the birth of such person, was physically present in the United States or its outlying possessions for a period or periods totaling not less than five years, at least two of which were after attaining the age of fourteen years...”