The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that people from Middle Eastern countries and elsewhere are "currently traveling through Mexico toward the U.S," and that "gang members" and people with "significant criminal histories" are in the caravan of Central Americans traveling through Mexico, according to a series of tweets from spokesperson Tyler Houlton Tuesday afternoon.
Why it matters: President Trump has claimed, without previously citing evidence, there are bad actors and people from the Middle East in the caravan. DHS has not yet responded to Axios' request to confirm that those people from other countries were traveling with the caravan. A department official said they could not release the data behind their confirmations as it "is law enforcement sensitive."
San Francisco is about to become the largest U.S. city to allow noncitizens, including undocumented immigrants, to vote in school board races, reports the AP.
The backstory: Voters approved a proposal in 2016 to allow noncitizens with children in the city's school district to vote in local school board elections. Supporters say it would give immigrant parents a voice in how the city's public schools are operated.
A Democratic hybrid PAC called Red to Blue California, which focuses on flipping House seats in California, is launching a six-figure ad campaign in 10 districts with the goal of reaching 1 million voters before Election Day.
Why it matters: Democrats' path to taking back the House will be a lot easier if they win California. All 10 of these targeted districts are either open seats or held by a Republican, and they only need 23 to win the House.
Despite raising $60 million, Beto O'Rourke — who's on our Axios 8 for 2018 list — still faces an uphill battle in turning Texas blue, per CNBC. For context, Sen. Ted Cruz has raised $35 million.
The big picture: "Despite his staggering cash haul and quick rise to national prominence, O'Rourke still appears to be an underdog. No recent independent poll has shown him closer than 5 percentage points behind Cruz," CNBC notes. Watch for early voting, which started this week in Texas, and whether Trump's visit to the state on Monday energizes Republican voters.
A new NBC/WSJ poll found 72% of Democratic voters have a high interest in voting in the midterms, compared to 68% of Republicans. In 2014, only 47% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans felt similarly.
The big picture: Interest in votinghas increased by double digits among Latinos, young voters, and women ahead of the election, compared to their average in previous NBC/WSJ polls throughout the year. Those are crucial voting blocs for Democrats and could decide the election if they actually show up on Nov. 6.
Republicans say some congressional races are moving back in their direction in the last few weeks, according to conversations with six GOP strategists, pollsters, and operatives.
A new report commissioned by advocacy groups finds that multiple tech companies, including Amazon and Palantir, are of special importance to immigration authorities "due to their involvement at multiple points in the profiling, tracking and apprehension of undocumented persons."
Why it matters: Contracts between major tech companies and immigration enforcers have drawn attention from the companies’ employees, some of whom object to playing a role in the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.
Despite seeing some positive signs in polling and enthusiasm after Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation, Republicans' behavior in the last few weeks shows how nervous they are about keeping control of the House.
Between the lines: The lack of confidence is showing up in where GOP groups aren’t spending money and how the Republican blame game is unfolding between President Trump and GOP operatives — all in anticipation of possibly losing the House.
A "physical altercation" between White House chief of staff John Kelly and former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski outside the Oval Office in February, during which Kelly grabbed Lewandowski by the collar and attempted to throw him out of the West Wing, got so heated that Secret Service had to get involved, the New York Times' Maggie Haberman and Katie Rogers report.
Why it matters: The incident, which reportedly occurred at the time when Kelly’s future at the White House was being questioned, is “the latest illustration of the often chaotic atmosphere” in the Trump White House, Haberman and Rogers write. They also describe it as a "reflection of the degree to which Mr. Kelly’s temper can be provoked."
