A 27-year-old Mexican national, identified as Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano, who was previously granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status but lost it this year, has been arrested for allegedly using a sledgehammer to decapitate a Marine figure on an Iwo Jima monument near Quantico, Virginia. Federal sources revealed that Maldonado Soriano, who illegally entered the U.S. in 1999 and was initially granted DACA in 2014, had his status extended by the Biden administration in 2024 but subsequently lost it in August 2026 when the Trump administration did not renew it. The incident, which occurred on October 21st, resulted in extensive damage to the limestone sculpture, including the complete removal of one Marine’s head and significant damage to other figures, with repair costs estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The monument commemorates the iconic flag-raising during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. Maldonado Soriano faces charges including felony destruction of property and injury to a monument, and is being held without bond.
Adapted from: U.S. News Today on Fox News
