SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The family of an Oceanside man originally from Mexico, says he was shot and killed during a robbery in Tijuana, seven months after he was detained and deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
His daughter, Evelyn Gonzalez, says her father, 46-year-old Gumercindo Apolinar Morales, would still be alive had he not been deported.
Gonzalez says Morales was detained at the Oceanside Transit Center, where he regularly boarded the COASTER commuter rail to get to work. She says he did not own a car.
"When we asked where it happened, he said it happened here. And he said that they grabbed him along with other people," Gonzalez said.
Morales' daughter says he worked as a house painter in San Diego and La Jolla.
"He painted houses in San Diego in La Jolla and that's why he would always take the coaster there because it was easy for him to get to work," Gonzalez said.
After his arrest, Morales was deported. Gonzalez says he was later murdered, shot and killed during a robbery at the place where he was living in Tijuana.
"He didn't deserve that. He wasn't a criminal and he was just trying to get to work. That's all it was, that's all it was, and now he's not here with us anymore," Gonzalez said through tears.
ICE disputes Gonzalez's account of her father's arrest and record. The agency says Morales was detained at Camp Pendleton after base officials contacted ICE. According to ICE, military police cited him for trespassing and providing false identification. ICE also says its records show he was deported three times previously, and that in 2009 he was convicted for driving without a valid license.
Gonzalez insists her father had no criminal record.
"It's very inhumane how ICE treats us Mexicans like criminals, like animals, because at the end of the day we are human beings, nothing more than that," Gonzalez said.
The family is now raising money to send Morales' body home to Cuernavaca, Mexico, for burial.
The North County Transit District says it is not able to confirm the detention. Camp Pendleton says they cannot discuss specific enforcement actions.
You can read ICE's full statement about Apolinar Morales' arrest below:
“ICE arrested Gumercindo Apolinar-Morales, 46, a criminal alien from Mexico, Jan. 8, 2026, at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton after military police encountered the alien and contacted ICE officers.
Apolinar-Morales was cited by military police for trespassing and providing false identification. ICE officers confirmed his identity through immigration records and determined he had no authorization to remain in the United States. Apolinar-Morales stated he last entered the United States without inspection near Otay Mesa, California, on or about April 26, 2019.
ICE records show Apolinar-Morales was previously removed to Mexico on May 3, 2018, March 25, 2019, and April 23, 2019. His criminal history includes a 2009 conviction in Georgia for driving without a valid license.
Apolinar-Morales was processed for reinstatement of a prior removal order and removed to Mexico.”
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