Police have arrested an illegal alien who allegedly beheaded a statue depicting Marines raising the American flag on Iwo Jima Island during World War II at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. The suspect, Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano, was identified by Prince William Police Department as having been “actively damaging the statue with a sledgehammer” when officers arrived at the scene around 10:13 p.m. on Wednesday.
The limestone monument, created by artist Felix de Weldon, features six battle-weary Marines on Iwo Jima during WWII and was vandalized after being struck with a sledgehammer. Authorities report Soriano allegedly removed one of the depicted soldiers’ heads and inflicted other damage estimated at hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Soriano, who entered the United States in 1999, was granted DACA status by the Obama administration in 2014 and had it extended by the Biden administration in 2024 before losing his legal status this year. He was taken into custody and charged with felony destruction of property, trespass with intent to damage property, and felony injury to monument. The suspect remains held without bond.
A White House spokesperson stated: “This criminal illegal alien’s dream is over: Maldonado Soriano disrespected our brave service members and defaced a beautiful monument that honored their sacrifice.” The spokesperson added: “President Trump has secured our border and is deporting illegal criminals who hate our country and our values. The socialist Democrats want to go back to open borders and flood our communities with dangerous criminal illegal aliens.”
The Department of Homeland Security released an image of the Iwo Jima memorial, vowing in a statement: “This we will defend.” Marine Corps Public Affairs confirmed that Base Quantico is working closely with Prince William County Police Department on a joint investigation.
