More than 5,000 immigrants from South and Central America have arrived in Denver since early December when an influx of new arrivals prompted city leaders to set up temporary shelters and declare an emergency.

Denver hit the milestone over the weekend.

During the height of the migration, the city saw busloads of immigrants from El Paso, Texas arrive in the Mile High City. Nearly half came between Dec. 19 and Jan. 3, City and County of Denver’s Joint Information Center (JIC) data shows.

The city has seen fewer than 50 a night arrive since mid-January.

“Our systems are a little bit relieved seeing fewer migrants coming each day,” said Ryan Jeffers, a JIC spokesperson.

Had the number of immigrants Denver saw migrating here early in the crisis continued, Jeffers said city officials had expected to hit the 5,000 mark much sooner.

Historically, immigrants have settled where they can find support, typically in cities where family and friends already live.

“Right now, the level of desperation is so high they’re doing whatever they can to enter the country,” said Laura Lunn, director of advocacy and litigation for the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN).

Since early December, 5,091 immigrants — the majority from Venezuela — have arrived in the city. Mayor Michael B. Hancock said the crisis strained city resources. At the time, the city had spent about $800,000 responding to the influx of immigrants coming.

In early February, city officials estimated the cost at about $5 million.

Officials will not have an up-to-date tally on the costs until Tuesday, Jeffers said.

More than 100,000 Denver County residents identify as immigrant or refugee, according to the Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Office for Human Rights & Community Partnerships. This existing immigrant community in Denver has made the metro area attractive to new arrivals.

The vast majority of new arrivals have stopped here on their way to somewhere else, most notably New York and Illinois, city data shows.

About 30% of the immigrants coming to Denver — according to city and state officials — intend to stay here.

City officials had hoped to curb the length of time immigrants required food and shelter, limiting their stay to two weeks or less. Instead, the city transferred responsibility for sheltering the immigrants to nonprofit partners and religious organizations.

Housing and work opportunities continue to be the greatest barriers for the new arrivals. But finding work and housing within two weeks of arriving, Lunn said, is a big ask.

“In my experience, people try to figure out a stable way of living as quickly as possible,” Lunn said.

Last month, city officials reopened to the public the recreation center that had been used as a temporary emergency shelter.

As of Monday, 1,209 immigrants were sheltered in Denver. The vast majority are being cared for by organizations who have partnered with the city. Only 77 immigrants were staying in a city-run facility.

The scores of immigrants fleeing Central and South America is illustrative of a U.S. border crisis that has spilled over into other cities, including Denver, which is more than 600 miles from El Paso, Texas.