The man arrested for allegedly using a sledgehammer to behead a Marine figure on an Iwo Jima monument near Quantico, Virginia, is a Mexican illegal alien and former Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient who lost his status this year, federal sources told Fox News.
Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano, 27, was charged with felony destruction of property, trespass with intent to damage property and felony injury to a monument.
“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 to Fox News. “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.”
According to federal sources, Maldonado Soriano illegally crossed into the U.S. in December 1999. He was granted DACA by the Obama administration in 2014. It was recently extended by the Biden administration in 2024. Maldonado Soriano then lost his DACA status in August 2026 because it was not renewed by the Trump administration.
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Officers with the Prince William County Police Department first responded to the incident at about 10:13 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Maldonado Soriano was allegedly striking the monument with a sledgehammer when officers arrived.
Authorities said Maldonado Soriano was arrested after officers discovered extensive damage to the limestone sculpture, which commemorates one of the most recognizable moments in American military history.
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The damage included the complete removal of one Marine’s head, along with damage to other figures depicted raising the American flag during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II, according to authorities.
Images of the damaged monument show the figure farthest to the right missing its head, while another Marine has visible gouges across his helmet and face, police told Fox News Digital.
A third figure sustained damage to a bayonet attached to a gun slung over his back. Police estimated the damage would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair.
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The damaged statue is a 9-foot limestone depiction of the iconic World War II flag-raising on Mount Suribachi during the 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima.
It was sculpted by Felix de Weldon, who later created the massive bronze Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.
The smaller monument stands near the entrance to Marine Corps Base Quantico near the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
Quantico, a major Marine Corps installation in northern Virginia, has served as a center for military training and education for generations.
In 2001, portions of the installation were listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Quantico Marine Corps Base Historic District, encompassing 122 buildings, two landscapes, a sculpture and a water tower.
Maldonado Soriano is being held without bond, and a court date has not yet been announced.