Scores of refugees march through Slovenia

The legislation, crafted by an all-night government meeting on Tuesday, allows the army to patrol the frontier even when border police are not present.

On Tuesday, Slovenia called in the army to help it manage refugees seeking to reach northern Europe through the country before winter, the Guardian reports.

Croatia opened its border with Serbia for migrants on Monday, letting in thousands who have been stranded for almost two days and partially clearing the human bottleneck that has been building up in the West Balkans.

Police in riot gear surrounded hundreds of migrants in a muddy field near the border village of Rigonce, from where they were to be escorted on foot to an already overcrowded reception center about 15 kilometers (9 miles) away.

The Croats countered that only half of the asylum seekers on its soil were being delivered north, and they accused the Slovenes of ignoring messages, too.

More than 20,000 migrants have arrived in Slovenia since Saturday.

Croatian police are allowing refugees to enter periodically in groups of between 50 and 100, transporting them to the nearby camp in Opatovac, where about 4,207 refugees are located at the moment.

The plan requires most of the 28 member states to accept a share of 160,000 people from the two Mediterranean nations over two years.

Slovenia’s forces were evidently sent to staging areas Tuesday ahead of a parliamentary vote that’s expected to endorse their use along the border under certain circumstances. “We will try our luck no matter what”, he said as helicopters flew over Slovenian side of the border.

Around 1,000 were waiting to cross into Croatia yesterday at the Berkasovo checkpoint after spending the night in the cold, an AFP correspondent said, adding that more buses with migrants kept arriving throughout the morning.

“Therefore Slovenia publicly calls upon the (EU) member states and the European institutions to actively engage in taking over this burden”.

Attempts by Slovenia to ration the flow of refugees since Hungary sealed its border with Croatia on Friday has triggered a knock-on effect through the Balkans, with thousands held up at border crossings.

Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Wednesday that using civilian planes for deportations is the priority but if there isn’t enough capacity authorities are mulling possibly using military planes.

A blaze tore through a migrant camp in Slovenia after refugees set fire to their tents in protest at their treatment, it was reported today.

Police say all of those fleeing war and hardship them came from Slovenia, with majority using the Spielfeld crossing.