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A U.S. Border Patrol agent searches for undocumented migrants after they illegally crossed the Rio Grande near Palmview, Texas, on April 6, 2019. Photo by REUTERS/Loren Elliott

It’s Tuesday, the traditional day for elections and for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy. We think of it as a mini-magazine in your inbox.

KEY NUMBERS ABOUT THE BORDER
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews ([link removed])
Correspondent

The president’s decision to change leadership at the Department of Homeland Security comes as the agency is grappling with a large influx of immigrants at the border with Mexico. U.S. Customs and Border Protection released new data Tuesday ([link removed]) that offers insight, depicting yet another spike in border crossings in March. We want to highlight some key figures.

Flow of immigrants
The number of immigrants detained by Customs and Border Protection is increasing dramatically, according to its latest numbers.
CBP apprehensions and inadmissibles -- those people officers turned away -- at the Southwest border:
* March 2019: 103,492, compared with 50,347 the same month in 2018.
* Feb. 2019: 76,535, compared with 36,751 the same month in 2018.
* Jan. 2019: 58,293, compared with 35,905 the same month in 2018.

But the even bigger change is in *who* is crossing. The majority are now in family units, opposed to single adults.
U.S. Border Patrol apprehended 53,077 family units in March -- about 57 percent of the 92,607 apprehensions at the border.
The backlog in immigration courts
All sides agree that the overwhelming backlog in immigration courts is one of the most serious problems in the system and something that can be addressed in the near term. In his testimony Tuesday morning before Congress, Attorney General William Barr provided some key data (*’d below.). It shows that while courts are moving through more cases, it is not fast enough to meet demand.
* Pending immigration cases: More than 800,000.
* Increase since Jan. 2017: 49 percent, from 542,000 ([link removed]) .
* Immigration cases heard January - March: 18,000.
* New cases added January - March: 26,000.
* Total immigration judges now to handle those cases: 424*.
* Cases per judge (at that rate): nearly 1,900
* Number of judges DOJ is looking to hire/train: 110*.
* Number of additional judges DOJ wants to fund: 100*.
* Ultimate goal: More than 600 total judges*.


THE DEMOCRATS’ MONEY RACE
By Alexandra D’Elia, @Alex__DElia ([link removed])
Politics production assistant

We now have one of the first tangible measurements of the 2020 Democratic presidential race: the first quarter of fundraising figures. Those who have declared their candidacy are required to report how much money they raised between January 1 and March 30, 2019. While they have until April 15 to get final reports to the Federal Election Commission, most of the White House hopefuls have announced their totals to the press.

Here are the figures released so far, along with the number of days each candidate took to bring in that cash. (Candidates who announced early had more time to raise money.)
* Bernie Sanders - $18.2 million ([link removed]) . Rate of nearly $444,000 per day. ([link removed])
* Kamala Harris - $12 million ([link removed]) . Rate of $171,000 per day ([link removed]) .
* Beto O’Rourke - $9.4 million ([link removed]) . Rate of more than $520,000 per day ([link removed]) .
* Pete Buttigieg - $7 million ([link removed]) . Rate of $107,000 per day. ([link removed])
* Amy Klobuchar - $5.2 million ([link removed]) . Rate of $104,000 per day.
* Cory Booker - $5 million ([link removed]) . Rate of $84,745 per day.
* Andrew Yang - $1.7 million ([link removed]) . Rate of $18,888 per day.

Some of these candidates have additional funds on hand from previous campaigns.

For instance, Cory Booker has $4.1 million ([link removed]) from his Senate campaign and Gillibrand has $10.3 million ([link removed]) from hers. These funds can transfer into their presidential campaign funds, though it’s not clear if they have made that transfer.

Why do these early fundraising numbers matter? The candidates are facing a new metric this campaign cycle: The Democratic National Committee’s debate requirements ([link removed]) , which force candidates to not only focus on the amount of money raised but also the number of unique donors who contribute. First quarter fundraising numbers and donor trends help us understand the grassroots support behind a candidate.

As they release the amount of money they’ve brought in, a few candidates are also detailing what they owe to Uncle Sam by publicly releasing their tax returns. Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee ([link removed]) and Sens. Elizabeth Warren ([link removed]) , D-Mass., Kirsten Gillibrand ([link removed]) , D-N.Y., and Amy Klobuchar ([link removed]) , D-Minn., have released their taxes. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has been getting some attention ([link removed]) for dodging questions when asked if and when he will release his tax returns.
Candidate tax returns have come under the spotlight since then-candidate Trump broke modern precedent by not releasing his own tax returns before the 2016 election. It’s been a sticking point for Democrats in Congress as a number of investigations into the president’s businesses continue. House of Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., requested ([link removed]) six years of Trump’s personal tax returns and of eight of his business entities from the IRS last week.

FIVE OVERLOOKED POLITICAL STORIES FROM THE PAST WEEK
By Alexandra D’Elia

U.S. Says It Could Take 2 Years to Identify Up to Thousands of Separated Immigrant Families ([link removed]) - April 6. In court documents, federal officials may take two years to reunite families who were separated at the border. Why it matters: Legal challenges continue to unearth key and previously unknown information about the effects of Trump administration policy. -- The New York Times

California bans publicly funded travel to South Carolina ([link removed]) - April 2. California’s attorney general has banned state agencies and universities from sponsoring travel to South Carolina, in reaction to a state law that has allowed at least one adoption agency to deny applicants based on religion. Why it matters: California has the nation’s largest state budget and has now banned most government travel to 10 states. The state’s attorney general believes the South Carolina law could also apply to discrimination on the basis of sexual preference or identity. -- San Francisco Chronicle

Felon voting rights constitutional amendment won't advance this year ([link removed]) - April 4. Iowa Senate Republicans have blocked a proposed statewide vote that would have allowed some felons to regain voting rights. Why it matters: Lawmakers’ spats over wording and technicalities has eclipsed any momentum on this aspect of criminal justice reform in Iowa. Meanwhile, Republicans in Florida are trying to roll back restoration of felon rights approved by voters in November ([link removed]) . -- Des Moines Register

Texas estimates it may owe feds $223 million after illegally decreasing special education funding ([link removed]) - April 5. Texas education officials estimate they made a multimillion-dollar mistake with dollars meant to fund special education. Why it matters: The state changed funding based on the severity of the needs of students a school enrolled that year, which violates federal law. As the state tries to work out a solution with the U.S. Department of Education, advocates are worried the issue will hurt funding for state special education overall. -- The Texas Tribune

Democrats Rethink the Death Penalty, and Its Politics ([link removed]) - April 7. Following last month’s executive order by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to postpone the executions of 737 inmates on death row, Democratic candidates are continuing the conversation on the campaign trail. . Why it matters: Recent Supreme Court cases ([link removed]) have also led the justices to rethink the death penalty and the Eighth Amendment, and conservative justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh have discussed expanding execution methods. -- The New York Times

#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Rachel Wellford, @rachelwellford ([link removed])
Politics producer

On this day in 1866, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act (of 1866), overriding President Andrew Johnson's veto. The law mandated citizenship for "all persons born in the United States, “except for Native Americans.” During which presidency were Native Americans granted citizenship?

Send your answers to or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shoutout next week.

Last week, we asked: Which future president voluntarily enlisted for active duty? The answer: Harry S Truman, whoenlisted to fight in World War I ([link removed]) at the age of 33 because he had aged out of the draft.

Congratulations to our winners: Roger Whitney and Lorna Grenadier, who answered within second of each other!

Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.


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** Hate crime hearing shows lawmakers still can’t agree on basic facts ([link removed])
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