Paul was not a Roman. His family were merely prominent enough to garner Roman citizenship, Many foreigners were gifted with Roman citizenship.
"When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said: "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, butbrought up in this city."Acts 22:2, 3
"When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. "What are you going to do?" he asked. "This man is a Roman citizen." The commander went to Paul and asked, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes, I am," he answered. Then the commander said, "I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship." "But I was born a citizen," Paul replied. Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains."Acts 22:26-29
A Roman is someone who was born or who has family ties to Rome, the imperial city."
"With a history going back over 2,000 years, Tarsus has long been an important stop for traders, a focal point of many civilisations including the Roman Empire, when Tarsus was capital of the province of Cilicia, the scene of the first meeting between Mark Antony and Cleopatra, and the birthplace of Paul the Apostle. Pompey (born September 29, 106 BC) subjected Tarsus to Rome, and it became capital of the Roman province of Cilicia, the metropolis where the governor resided. In 66 BC, the inhabitants received Roman citizenship."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarsus,_Mersin
I repeat... in case those who "know" STILL don't get it:
"I was BORN a citizen."
A slave of Christ,
SA