Crossword Genius

They're in the land where one was born and raised (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

roots

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'land where one was born and raised' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.

'they're in the' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'roos' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for roots that I've seen before include "Cultural origins" , "Searches vigorously" , "Origins; cheers (for)" , "Cultural origin" , "ethnic music in > TV series" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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