ICE dumped hundreds of immigrants in downtown El Paso — apparently by mistake

EL PASO, Texas — Federal officials say the dumping of several hundred immigrants at an El Paso bus station over Christmas weekend, which caused a short-term crisis, was a mistake, city officials said Friday.

Federal authorities dropped off hundreds of migrants at the Greyhound station in downtown El Paso with no notice late that Sunday, sparking an outcry from community organizations that scrambled to find shelter and food for migrants.

Authorities continued releasing hundreds of migrants in downtown through Christmas Day.

"According to ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officials we communicated with, they stated (the unscheduled release) was just a mistake," El Paso Fire Chief Mario D'Agostino said during a press conference at the city's 9-1-1 call center in Northeast El Paso. "It was an error on their part."

Most of the immigrants come from Central America, with many fleeing violence or extreme poverty.

Federal officials made no indication that leaving about 600 immigrants at the Greyhound bus station from Sunday through Christmas Day was related to the current federal government shutdown, D'Agostino said.

The shutdown is tied to an impasse between Congress and the White House over funding for a border wall proposed by President Donald Trump.

More: ICE to release 500 more migrants in El Paso, marking the largest single day release

El Paso City Manager Tommy Gonzalez said in a phone interview with The El Paso Times that he and the fire chief talked to the ICE regional director, who apologized for the unscheduled release of the immigrants in El Paso during Christmas weekend.

City officials plan to talk to ICE and other officials next week about "the need to come up with some solutions" on the entire process of releasing immigrants and "how to treat them," Gonzalez said.

The city brought in police officers as a "public safety" measure at the Greyhound bus station Sunday night when about 200 immigrants were left there by ICE agents, Gonzalez said.

The city's Sun Metro bus system also supplied heated buses for immigrants to stay in until shelters could be found, officials said.

The response by city agencies and others shows "Texas and the rest of the United States that we're very compassionate as a community," Gonzalez said.

The continual flow of immigrants has become more of an issue since June when the federal government set up temporary tent shelters, including one in Tornillo, near El Paso, to house immigrant children separated from their parents.

The immigration issue has again come to the forefront after two immigrant children recently died in Border Patrol custody.

More: El Paso immigrant shelters have 'busiest year ever,' fueled by Central America surge

Ruben Garcia is executive director of the Annunciation House, a nonprofit El Paso organization that aides and shelters immigrants. He said the normal process of ICE bringing immigrants to shelters or hotels identified by Annunciation House has been working well for years.

Problems come when immigrants are unexpectedly released at the bus station or on the streets, which happened during Christmas weekend and earlier in October, he said.

Annunciation House has received more than 2,000 immigrants per week for the last two months — the "fourth surge" of immigrants into the area in the past six years, Garcia said.

However, the number of immigrants staying near El Paso has actually decreased in recent years, Garcia said, as has the number of immigrants apprehended by Border Patrol.

"Nobody stays in El Paso; everybody moves on" after receiving temporary housing and care packages, Garcia said of the current surge of immigrants.

Immigrants move to other areas of the United States by getting bus or airplane tickets, usually paid for by' relatives, Garcia said. The immigrants can stay in the United States until their cases are heard in federal court.

"So, El Paso doesn't have to deal with a growing refugee population," Garcia said.

Follow Vic Kolenc on Twitter: @vickolenc.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: ICE dumped hundreds of immigrants in downtown El Paso — apparently by mistake