Presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy revealed his parents' citizenship status and how it has informed his own policy.
Ramaswamy confirmed that his father is not a U.S. citizen. Meanwhile, his mother became a citizen after he was born in the United States, which made him a naturalized American citizen by birthright.
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"He did not [take the citizenship test], and that’s a choice that he has made for familial reasons, but my mother did," Ramaswamy told NBC News in an interview that aired Thursday
The 14th Amendment of the Constitution grants U.S. citizenship to those children born in the U.S. to immigrant parents. However, Ramaswamy clarified that he would like to do away with that.
"So, I want to give you my full perspective on this issue because I will acknowledge this is a difficult question, and what makes this a difficult question is that many people who are in this country illegally are still good people who came here for a better life for their family. And I think the only way we’re going to be able to stand as a nation really committed to the rule of law is to behave in a manner that actually means it," Ramaswamy said to explain his policy.
"But I think that we will provide a path back through legal, meritocratic immigration for those who have demonstrated themselves to be law-abiding contributing citizens of this country," Ramaswamy went on.
Notably, Ramaswamy's wife, Apoorva, also immigrated to the country. She married Ramaswamy in 2015, and they have since had two children in the U.S.
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At 37, Ramaswamy is the youngest facing off against former President Donald Trump, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), political commentator Larry Elder, and businessman Perry Johnson in the race to win the GOP presidential nomination.
A New Hampshire poll showed Ramaswamy running away with the second place in support from likely Republican primary voters. Trump maintains the lead with 39% of support from the same group.