158 migrant caravan members have crossed into U.S. for asylum

May 3 (UPI) -- At least 70 migrants who traveled through Central America seeking asylum in the United States crossed the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday, an advocate for the group said.

The latest group brought the total number of people who have crossed the San Ysidro Port of Entry between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, to 158, according to Alex Mensing, a project coordinator for Pueblo Sin Fronteras, the group that organized the so-called caravan.

Authorities have periodically blocked access to the border crossing, saying the facility has reached capacity since the group first tried to enter the United States on Sunday.

About 70 migrants were left waiting in Tijuana, passing the time in a makeshift camp of tents on the Mexican side of the border before they're able to cross.

The caravan of people who say they're seeking to escape violence in countries such as Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador once contained up to 1,000 members.

While similar migrant groups have made their way toward the border within the past few years, this group faced vocal opposition from U.S. President Donald Trump who warned of arrests as a group of about 130 migrants reached the border last month.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions sent 35 assistant U.S. attorneys to five districts along the border Thursday in addition to 18 judges, who will try immigration cases.