Five reasons why David Hartley's disappearance on Falcon Lake is not a big story in Mexico

The story of David Hartley, who was allegedly shot by Mexican drug traffickers Sept. 30 while jet-skiing on a lake that straddles Texas and Mexico, has received continuous coverage in American news.

US election season

Eric Gay/AP
A relative of David Hartley stands at the edge of Falcon Lake in Zapata, Texas. Two US men have been killed in the last two weeks – one while riding a Jet Ski and another when his bus was hijacked.

The incident on Lake Falcon is fodder for Americans pushing for immigration reform in Washington or requesting more resources to secure US territory against so-called “spillover violence." It may be no coincidence that the news interest comes in the height of election season.

“This kind of thing awakens anti-immigrant sentiment,” says Analicia Ruiz, an expert on US-Mexico relations at Anahuac University in Mexico City.

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