Cruz criticizes National Park Service for inadequate response to pro-Hamas protests at Union Station in DC.

Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, is investigating the National Park Service regarding the July 24 pro-Hamas demonstration in Washington, D.C., and how it was permitted to occur.

Although ANSWER Coalition received a large permit and advance notice from NPS, only 29 officers were deployed, leaving them outnumbered by the crowd. In contrast, Amtrak Police increased their presence and successfully managed the area at Union Station, as Cruz stated in a letter to NPS on Friday.

Cruz's letter further criticizes NPS for failing to coordinate with other agencies, underestimating the protest's scale, and not requesting additional support. He is also seeking detailed answers about NPS's preparation, coordination efforts, and future plans to prevent future pro-Hamas demonstrations in the nation's capital.

"The National Park Service (NPS) should have never allowed the large anti-Israel protests to happen," Cruz wrote in his letter, first obtained by Planet Chronicle Digital. "The NPS had advance notice of the protests, timed to coincide with [Israeli] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress, and ample time to prepare."

Cruz is requesting information on the intelligence NPS had regarding the protest, including details about the ANSWER Coalition's activities and the steps taken by NPS to prepare for the protest and potential rioting at Columbus Circle, including the number of officers deployed, any body-camera footage from U.S. Park Police officers who responded to the riot, and any NPS after-action reports or similar documents and information about how NPS coordinated with local agencies prior to the protest.

Cruz said NPS left its U.S. Park Police "hopelessly outnumbered."

"Despite advance notice of the massive protest and the propensity of pro-Hamas demonstrations to turn violent, the insufficient resources deployed by NPS was negligent. Even with every USPP officer in the D.C. area deployed, the many other demands on that force left far too few USPP officers available for a major protest that could turn violent, and the Park Police union is not aware of any effort to get additional officers."

On July 24, protesters gathered in Washington, D.C. to demonstrate against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress. Some of the monuments and historical sites were vandalized and damaged. The protesters were caught on camera setting American flags on fire, writing graffiti near Union Station, and shouting "Allahu Akbar."

Near the U.S. Capitol, agitators at Union Station burned an American flag, vandalized a statue with "Hamas is coming," and replaced American flags with Palestinian flags.

Netanyahu criticized cease-fire demonstrations in the U.S. during his address to Congress last month, which took place amid Israel's ongoing conflict with Hamas.

Planet Chronicle Digital has reached out to NPS for comment.

Planet Chronicle Digital's Emma Colton contributed to this report.