Mexican Illegal Faces Charges After Beheading Iwo Jima Statue

Miguel Alonso Maldonado Sorianom, illegal migrant from Mexico residing in the US, has been officially charged after battering a replica of the Iwo Jima flag-raising statue near the Marine Corps base at Quantico, Virginia. One of the figures on the statue was beheaded before police apprehended the man.  

Prince William County Circuit Court Chief Judge Petula Metzler granted Soriano a $2,500 secured bond. Conditions include GPS monitoring, alcohol/drug testing, remaining in Virginia, and completing a mental health evaluation (plus any recommended treatment). A preliminary hearing is set for January.

However, ICE has lodged a retainer, and if the suspect posts bond they plan to take him into custody.  Meaning, Soriano will not be escaping with a slap on the wrist.  A General District Court judge initially tried to grant the migrant cashless bail until prosecutors objected (another example of the two tier legal system which has long given illegal migrants special treatment).  

An ICE news release confirmed that Soriano is a Mexican national who entered illegally in 1999.  He received DACA in October 2014 from the Obama Administration and his status was renewed under Biden.  His latest renewal request was denied by the Trump Administration. 

He has a prior 2022 trespassing arrest in Stafford County. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin called the attack “hateful” and stated criminals like this “have no business being in our country.”  

He faces charges including:  Felony destruction of property, trespass with intent to damage property and felony injury to a monument.  

A detective testified that investigators quickly noted potential mental health concerns.  Soriano allegedly claims that rapper “DaBaby” told him (via social media) to desecrate the statue, and he made statements about suicide during his arrest.  

Prosecutors, however, say the man’s actions were triggered by anger when his Marine Corps application was rejected due to his lack of US citizenship.  In any case, whether the man is crazy or simply violent, this is exactly why mass deportations are necessary.  The overall drag on US society, through crime or mental illness, is sometimes hard to quantify until the illegals are removed.  

The incident also showcases the problem with long term illegal immigration.  Many critics of Trump’s deportations argue that ICE should focus on migrants who have committed recent crimes while leaving those who have lived in the US for many years alone.  

This kind of thinking actually rewards illegals who have violated immigration law and fed off the US economy for much longer, but it also ignores the reality that many of these people are still ticking time bombs that could be defused.  Soriano has been in the US for decades; this does not make him less of a criminal.