Hundreds of migrants were dropped off at a Downtown El Paso bus station late Sunday night with no forewarning to area shelters, volunteers said. And more busloads of migrants were dropped off Monday and hundreds more were expected on Christmas Day.

The dropoffs came days after a partial shutdown of the federal government because of a dispute over funding for President Donald Trump's planned border wall. About 200 migrants were dropped off Sunday night by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials at the Greyhound bus station at 200 W. San Antonio.

On Monday morning, vehicles carrying the migrants dropped off Sunday trickled in to the bus station parking lot, dropping off families who had made contact with their relatives in the United States. Families, some with toddlers, walked into the bus station carrying their belongings in trash bags and reusable totes.

But by Monday afternoon, hundreds more migrants were being released at the bus station. About 50 were dropped off early Monday afternoon, and then at least 150 were released later that day.

U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke was at a park near the bus station Downtown, helping hand out food to incoming migrants. Officials estimated about 170 migrants were dropped off while he was there.

O'Rourke said that on Sunday he spoke to the director of ICE, who said the unannounced releases were mistakes.

“ICE made a mistake yesterday," O'Rourke said Monday. "I don't think it was intentional. I think they made a mistake in not alerting the community.”

O’Rourke said El Pasoans have stepped up to help provide service and donations for the incoming migrants.

“El Paso by some measures is one of the poorest cities in the United States, but here’s El Paso stepping up and people giving, without costing the government a dime," O'Rourke said. "It’s all from people in this community.”

U.S. Rep.-elect Veronica Escobar said about 200 more migrants were set to be released Monday, with possibly 200 more coming Christmas Day, on Tuesday.

Escobar tweeted that hotel rooms are needed for the incoming migrants.

"Everything keeps changing by the hour," Escobar said.

By Monday afternoon, more than 50 migrants had arrived at the bus station. Volunteers also arrived to hand out lunches, water and small toys for the children.

“Feliz Navidad,” volunteers said as they handed out sack lunches to the men, women and children arriving Monday afternoon at the Greyhound bus station. Children smiled as they were handed stuffed animals and other toys.

The Grajeda-Montes family of El Paso brought 44 sack lunches and when they ran out, they went to buy hamburgers.

“We know there is a lot of need,” said Adolfo Grajeda, who with his wife, son and daughter handed out food.

The family said they were motivated by their Catholic faith to help others and have handed out food to migrants at the bus station before.

“We began service work to welcome refugees because they are like an extension of God and we have to help them and accompany them,” daughter Gabriela Grajeda Montes said.

“They are going to spend Christmas outside their country, far away from their family and without anything. They only have what they have on. We need to show solidarity with those who are less fortunate than us,” she said.

Dylan Corbett, executive director of the Hope Border Institute, said ICE has dropped off migrants without warning before but that usually it contacts local nonprofits before doing so.

"There's no need for it. These are folks who are confused and don't know where they are," Cobrett said. "Many haven't bathed in days, many are hungry. We've seen cases in the past where people need medical attention."

On social media, some El Pasoans put out calls for supplies, donations and volunteers. Lorri Burnett, a volunteer at Nazareth Hall, was spending her Christmas Eve driving migrants from a shelter back to the Greyhound station, where they boarded a bus and traveled to be reunited with families or friends in the United States.

"They've been through so much," Burnett said. "All we're there for is to love them and provide them some safety."

Burnett said Annunciation House, which took in the migrants and distributed people to about seven shelters, was not given advance notice that the migrants would be released at the bus station. She said the shelter generally gets daily notices from ICE about the number of individuals who will be released to Annunciation House, which helps immigrants passing through the area.

Burnett added that the individuals coming to Annunciation House have been processed by ICE and have their papers, an ankle monitor and a court date and are able to cross through Border Patrol checkpoints.

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Ruben Garcia, executive director of Annunciation House, did not immediately return a call seeking information.

Calls to ICE were not returned. Because the federal government is shut down, employees in nonessential positions, such as some public affairs positions, are not working. An email to ICE bounced back with an automatic reply stating the agency's public affairs officers by law cannot work or respond to media inquiries during the shutdown.

Sara Sanchez can be reached at 546-6147; ssanchez@elpasotimes.com; @siempresarita on Twitter.