Croatia to divert migrants to Slovenia: minister

After the border closure, the refugees are expected either to try and get to Europe through Slovenia or to stay in Croatia, which is already struggling with mass refugee inflow, for an indefinite period.

Hungary’s fence is a sobering symbol of the fractured and arduous European effort to handle the worst refugee crisis since World War II. Croatia has said it will close its border with Serbia if Slovenia does the same with Croatia.

Hungary will seal off its border with Croatia midnight to stop the uncontrolled inflow of refugees that arrive in thousands every day, the foreign minister said after a national security cabinet meeting. Police spokeswoman Suzana Raus said that after processing, a lot of them will be transferred toward the Austrian border.

Hungary’s action to close its southern border is indicative of Europe’s disjointed response to the flow of people fleeing war and poverty. “There is no alternative”, she told HRT state-run television.

The Anadolu Agency says the Turkish Coast Guard on Saturday rescued 25 other migrants from the sea. The vast majority are trying to reach Germany.

There was no immediate information of the nationalities of the migrants.

“The Hungarian government has taken the steps…to protect the internal European freedoms and the security of the citizens of Hungary and Europe”, government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said minutes after the shutdown.

Orban asserted that most asylum seekers arriving in Europe are actually economic migrants. But Turkey denied that a deal had been finalized.

He said normal border checkpoints with Croatia would remain open, though inspections will be tightened. Migrants hoping to reach western Europe have turned that way after Hungary sealed off its territory for them.

Hungary sealed its 110-mile border with Serbia with a similar fence last month, leaving thousands of migrants stranded.

Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic late Friday urged the government to direct all migrant traffic to official border crossings rather than allow them to enter through illegal routes.

He said Hungary had informed Croatia, Slovenia, Poland, Slovakia, Austria, and Germany, and that migrants would be able to submit asylum requests at two so-called “transit zones” to be set up on the border with Croatia.

With winter approaching and temperatures dropping, they now face being diverted from Croatia into Slovenia, like Hungary a member of Europe’s Schengen zone of passport-free travel.

In preparation for the refugees’ arrival, a large white tent was erected at the crossing, where Slovenian authorities carry out identity checks, before taking the refugees to a refugee camp on the northern border with Austria.