VOTD

1 John 2:17

Read: 1 John 2:17 (NLT)

Friday, October 23, 2026

Iwo Jima Memorial in Quantico Vandalized, Arrest Made

Photo: Department of Homeland Security

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 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.

Suspect: Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano
[Photo Credit: U.S. Department of Homeland Security] Suspect: Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano

"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,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

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.

The decapitated head of one of the statues in the memorial
[Photo Credit: U.S. Department of Homeland Security] The vandalized head of one of the statues in the memorial