Refugees and migrants arriving in Europe are finding themselves with fewer and fewer options to enter the European Union, and move further north. Hungary fenced off its border with Serbia this week, deflecting migrants with tear gas and a water cannon, and after thousands of people made their way to the Croatian border instead, the country also shut down its checkpoints, unable to handle the influx. Now, tiny Slovenia, which unlike Croatia is a member of the border-free Schengen zone, has halted trains coming in from Croatia.
The country stopped rail traffic coming from the south after finding 150 migrants on a Zurich-bound train. After attempts to send the train back to Croatia, the migrants were relocated to the center of the country, to await a decision on their fate.
Many refugees are now trying to take the Slovenian route on foot.
Slovenia’s prime minister Miro Cerar said on Thursday (Sept. 16) that ”only those meeting the EU’s requirements can be allowed to cross the border.” The country is preparing for the inevitable influx, building shelters and setting up tents.