by Shelby Vcelka

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia–

Slovenian officials warned that the country’s ability to cope with the influx of migrants was nearing a breaking point after Croatia announced it was closing its border with Hungary. After a request from Croatia to take in 5,000 migrants per day, Slovenia has announced they can only allow 2,500 migrants to cross its borders daily. The Interior Minister, Bostjan Sefic, commented, “we can simply not have a situation where we would be receiving enormous numbers of refugees, knowing that they wouldn’t be able to leave.”

Migrants begin crossing over the border after numbers pile up, and breathing room collapses. (Photo courtesy of BBC.)

Officials said the country was accommodating the increased flow of migrants, but was unable to deal with migrants who were stranded and would not be able to pass through to other countries. Nearly 200,000 migrants have entered the country since mid-September, with 2,100 migrants arriving on Sunday alone. Slovenia is currently attempting to register as many refugees as possible, before moving them along to wealthier nations such as Germany and Austria.

Hungary was the first to close its borders with Slovenia, suspending the Schengen Rules of the European Union, which allows for passport-free travel between member nations. The Hungarian government stated that because of the arrival of refugees on the Slovenian side of the border, they had to cut off access to an already unstable country. Slovenia, in response to restricted travel for migrants, fortified border security with the military along their Croatian border.

The weather is of particular concern to the Slovenian government, as colder temperatures will be arriving soon. Currently, the autumn winds and rain are hammering temporary shelters, and endangering the safety of migrants. With winter chill arriving, Slovenia will be hard pressed to provide for the migrants in addition to their own welfare state.

For more information, please see–

NBC–Thousands of Migrants Surge Into Slovenia in New Route— 17 October 2015

BBC–Migrant crisis: Slovenia sets limit of 2,500 people a day— 18 October 2015

Reuters–Croatia diverts migrants to Slovenia after Hungary closes border— 18 October 2015

Wall Street Journal–Slovenia Pressured by Influx of Migrants— 18 October 2015

Author: Impunity Watch Archive