Chinese Risk Dangerous and Costly Journey Across Mexican Border to Illegally Enter US

Border Patrol agents apprehend seven illegal immigrants from China, one from Mexico, and one from El Salvador after they tried to evade capture after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into the United States near McAllen, Texas, on April 18, 2019. Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times

A U.S. citizen killed during a recent clash with U.S. border patrol agents turned out to be a human smuggler who was trying to shuttle Chinese nationals from the Mexican border.

According to a June 5 statement from San Diego police, while driving through the border with Mexico on June 3, 23-year-old Travis James Eckstein refused to stop for inspection when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers approached. He then fired multiple gunshots while attempting to drive through San Ysidro, the district in San Diego immediately north of the border with Mexico.