Austin News

U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is seeking answers from the National Park Service (NPS) regarding what he describes as an inadequate response to a pro-Hamas riot at Union Station last month. The protest, which turned violent at Columbus Circle, resulted in the burning of American flags, defacement of the Columbus monument, and assaults on U.S. Park Police officers.

Sen. Cruz has questioned why only 29 NPS officers were deployed despite a permit allowing for 5,000 attendees. He has also called for the Biden-Harris administration to prosecute the ten individuals arrested during the incident.

In his letter to the NPS director, Sen. Cruz stated, “On July 24th, pro-Hamas rioters effectively took control over parts of Columbus Circle outside Washington D.C. Union Station... This should never have been allowed to happen.”

Cruz highlighted that NPS had advance notice of the large anti-Israel protests and ample time to prepare given that they coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress.

The letter noted that other agencies like Amtrak Police had significantly increased their presence in anticipation of potential unrest. According to Sen. Cruz, Amtrak Police quintupled their numbers at Union Station but lacked resources to manage areas outside its immediate jurisdiction.

“NPS left its USPP officers hopelessly outnumbered... by a ratio of nearly 200 to 1,” wrote Sen. Cruz, criticizing NPS's failure to request additional support from other law enforcement agencies.

Sen. Cruz concluded by asking for detailed information on precautions taken by NPS and coordination with other agencies ahead of the protests. He also requested body-camera footage and after-action reports related to the incident.