DHS Issues Statement After Illegal Alien Attacks Iwo Jima Memorial in Quantico, Virginia and Decapitates Statue

The suspect was granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) by the Obama Administration

WASHINGTON - The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the following statement after an illegal alien was arrested for attacking the Iwo Jima Memorial in Quantico, Virginia, decapitating one of the statues with a sledgehammer.

According to local reporting, the barbaric act of vandalism was carried out in the evening on October 21. A man wielding a sledgehammer attacked the Iwo Jima Memorial outside Marine Corps Base Quantico, and was still "actively damaging" the statue when Prince William County police arrived to arrest him.

The Iwo Jima Memorial in Quantico, Virginia, following the attack

The decapitated head of one of the statues in the memorial

The suspect is Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano, an illegal alien from Mexico. He has been charged with felony destruction of property and trespassing with intent to damage property. His criminal history includes an arrest in Stafford County for trespassing in 2022.

The suspect: Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano

"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."

Soriano illegally entered the United States at an unknown date and location in 1999. He was granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in October 2014 by the Obama Administration, which was renewed by the Biden Administration. His DACA has since expired.

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