Cruz blasts 'insufficient' National Park Service response to pro-Hamas riots at DC's Union Station

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Pro-Hamas demonstrators set American flag on fire in DC

Among other acts of vandalism, the protesters set fire to an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and sprayed paint on monuments. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is probing the National Park Service (NPS) over how the July 24 pro-Hamas protest in Washington, D.C., was allowed to happen.

Despite advance notice and a large permit issued to the left-wing anti-Israel group ANSWER Coalition, NPS deployed only 29 officers, leaving them vastly outnumbered by the crowd. In contrast, Amtrak Police, which is responsible for security at Union Station, significantly increased their presence and successfully managed the area, Cruz said in a letter sent to NPS on Friday.

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

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A person spray-paints the base of the Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain during an anti-Israel protest near the U.S. Capitol as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint meeting of Congress on July 24, 2024. (Andrew Thomas/AFP via Getty Images)

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

Additionally, Cruz is seeking 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.

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Sen. Ted Cruz (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images/File)

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

"The insufficient resources deployed by NPS, despite advance notice of the massive protest and the propensity of pro-Hamas demonstrations to turn violent, was negligent," Cruz wrote. "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, anti-Israel agitators descended on Washington, D.C., to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress. Several monuments and historical sites were defaced and damaged. They were seen lighting American flags on fire, scrawling graffiti outside Union Station and chanting "Allahu Akbar."

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Activists cheer as they burn flags and a puppet of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an anti-Israel protest near the U.S. Capitol on July 24, 2024. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Agitators at Union Station, which is located near the U.S. Capitol, burned an American flag and vandalized a statue with the words "Hamas is coming." They also removed American flags and replaced them with Palestinian flags instead.

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A demonstrator sprays graffiti on the Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain at Union Station in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024. (Reuters/Nathan Howard)

Netanyahu delivered an address to Congress last month amid his nation's war against Hamas, which has raged since Oct. 7. Amid his remarks, Netanyahu tore into cease-fire demonstrations that have played out across the U.S. since the war began. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to NPS for comment.

Fox News Digital's Emma Colton contributed to this report.