An arrest at U.S. Marine Corps Base Quantico has produced a fresh round of questions after police say Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano used a sledgehammer to decapitate one of the Marine figures on the iconic Iwo Jima statue. The 27-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene during the evening of October 21, while he was still “actively damaging” the memorial. Apparently, a monument honoring Marines who raised the American flag became the target of a sledgehammer attack, with the damage estimated at hundreds of thousands of dollars.
New details in the report identify Soriano as an illegal immigrant from Mexico. According to the information released by the Department of Homeland Security, he entered the United States illegally in 1999 at an unknown date and location. He was granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA, in October 2014 by the Obama Administration. His status was later renewed by the Biden Administration, but it has since expired. A social media post cited in the report said the protection lapsed in August.
That is not exactly a persuasive display of assimilation after nearly 27 years in the country. A sledgehammer is a blunt instrument in every sense of the phrase, particularly when it is being used against a memorial dedicated to American Marines.
Soriano has been charged with felony destruction of property and trespassing with intent to damage property. Police have not released a motive. The report also says this was not his first encounter with law enforcement. He was arrested in Stafford County for trespassing in 2022.
Mario Nawfal’s X post cited in the report summarized the police account, including the suspect’s expired DACA protection, the alleged attack, and the extensive damage to the limestone model of the Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima:
A DHS press release also included a statement from DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “This hateful illegal alien attacked a memorial to our brave Marines, decapitating one of the statues with a sledgehammer ,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “He had been granted DACA by the Obama Administration. Criminals like this who clearly hate America have no business being in our country. We must never allow the history of our great nation to be torn down by illegal aliens who have zero respect for our country and our values. This criminal will soon face justice.”
The report also takes aim at media descriptions of Soriano as a “Virginia man.” That label may identify where he was located, but it leaves out the immigration history and the details of the alleged attack. Benny Johnson made that point in a post included in the report: “WaPo: A ‘Virginia Man’ vandalized the Quantico Iwo Jima Marines statue. Reality: It was an illegal alien. Per @BillMelugin_ : Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano illegally entered the U.S. in 1999, was granted DACA by Obama in 2014, which was extended by the Biden admin in 2024.”
The case now involves alleged felony property destruction, trespassing, a prior trespassing arrest, and an expired DACA status. Police have not provided a motive, but the reported damage to a memorial honoring the sacrifices of U.S. Marines has understandably drawn strong condemnation.
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