Somewhat fittingly, given the growing cost of illegal immigration in America, the man arrested for allegedly attacking the Iwo Jima monument near Quantico, Virginia, is an illegal alien from Mexico — the damaged 9 ft. monument served as a precursor to the iconic United States Marine Corps War Memorial located in Arlington County, Virginia.
Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano, 27, was arrested for felony destruction of property, trespass with intent to damage property, and felony injury to a monument, after using a sledgehammer to damage the Iwo Jima monument, sculpted before the bronze memorial which honors the memory of the men of the United States Marine Corps who’ve given their lives to their country since November 10, 1775.
Soriano managed to behead one of the Marine figures on the limestone sculpture and damage other figures depicted raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II, according to Fox News.
🚨 OMG. The man who literally beheaded the Iwo Jima monument in Quantico is a MEXICAN ILLEGAL ALIEN, CONFIRMED — Fox News
His name: Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano 😠
ENRAGING. Why would Democrats want to KEEP these people here?!
This masterful piece of art honors the Marines who raised the flag over Iwo Jima during WWII
And this 3rd world BARBARIAN saw it and thought it was a good idea to smash the head off.
He’s charged with felony destruction of property and trespass
h/t @BillMelugin_ https://t.co/nEIlm9Smjk
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 23, 2026
“This criminal illegal alien’s dream is over: Maldonado Soriano disrespected our brave service members and defaced a beautiful monument that honored their sacrifice,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement. “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.”
Soriano illegally crossed into the U.S. in December 1999, according to federal sources, and was granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status by the Obama administration in 2014. The Biden administration extended that status in 2024, but the Trump administration chose not to renew it.
NEW: Multiple federal sources confirm to @FoxNews that the suspect arrested for using a sledgehammer to behead a WW2 Iwo Jima monument in Quantico, VA on Tuesday is a Mexican illegal alien & former DACA recipient whose legal status expired this year.
Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano has now been charged with felony destruction of property and trespass with intent to damage property.
Per federal sources, Soriano illegally crossed into the U.S. in December 1999. He was granted DACA by the Obama administration in 2014 and had it extended for years, most recently by the Biden admin in 2024, but he lost his DACA status in August of this year when it wasn’t renewed by the Trump administration.
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) October 23, 2026
It’s not like the illegal immigrant tried to hide his contemptuous actions; he was still wailing on one of America’s most revered monuments when officers from the Prince William County Police Department showed up.
The brutal Battle of Iwo Jima raged on for 36 days, with 6,821 Americans making the ultimate sacrifice, while 19,000 more were wounded.
Interestingly, Atelier Missor, a neoclassical French foundry founded in January 2021 by brothers Massoud and Missor Movahhed Ghaleh Nouri, offered to pay for the restoration of the Iwo Jima statue.
This is outrageous. Contact us and we’ll restore it for free.
— Atelier Missor (@AtelierMissor_) October 23, 2026
Here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story, as seen on X, including a post reminding us that three of the six men depicted in the sculpture died on Iwo Jima:
🚨 DISGUSTING: Nearly 7,000 Americans DIED taking Iwo Jima, and some coward with a sledgehammer thought he could knock a Marine’s head off their memorial.
He’s charged with felony injury to a monument and held without bond.
Throw the book at him, then throw the shelf.
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) October 22, 2026
Three of the six Marines in Rosenthal’s photo never made it home from Iwo Jima. Strank, Block and Sousley were all killed within weeks of that flag going up. Taking a sledgehammer to them isn’t vandalism. It’s desecration, and the felony charge is the floor.
— AMERICAN HERO (@MERICAxFIRST) October 22, 2026
Leave him alone in a room with a Marine.
That should fix it.
— T. Gracchus 🇺🇸 (@Tiberius139) October 22, 2026
Didn’t Trump sign a law with a minimum 10 year federal prison for damaging monuments?
Let’s see if this sticks!— Garbage Deplorable Roberto (@Roberto1974) October 22, 2026
He likes a sledge hammer, I think hard labor should be in his future.
— Ex Scientia Vera (@carpe_scientia) October 23, 2026
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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