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. Nearly half of the immigrants came between Dec. 19 and Jan. 3. The city has seen fewer than 50 immigrants arrive each night since mid-January, according to data from Denver’s Joint Information Center.

Is Colorado a ‘sanctuary’ state?

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

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.

The majority of the 5,091 immigrants who have arrived in the city since early December have been from Venezuela. Mayor Michael B. Hancock said the crisis strained city resources.

In early February, city officials estimated that Denver had spent about $5 million responding to the influx of immigrants.

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.

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 immigrants coming to Denver intend to stay here, city and state officials said.

Number of immigrants in Denver triples since emergency declaration

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.