Epicenter of EU migrant crisis shifts to tiny Slovenia

Slovenia was poised Tuesday to deploy its army to stem the flow of migrants pouring into the Balkan nation bound for northern Europe mainly from war-torn Syria and its neighbors.

A surge of migrants has swamped the tiny nation's border security at Trnovec since Hungary closed its border with Croatia on Friday. Hungary previously had sealed its border with Serbia, so Slovenia has become the primary passageway to Austria, Germany and beyond. The Slovenia government said Tuesday that more than 12,000 refugees are now in their country, with more than 5,000 arriving daily.

The government said it is increasing capacity at reception centers to 14,000 beds.

Croatia has pressed Slovenia to accept 5,000 people per day, but the government wants to limit the number to whatever Austria can accept from Slovenia.

The confusion and crisis forced hundreds of desperate refugees to spend Monday night in the open in freezing temperatures after police stopped them from walking across the border from Croatia.

"We are still doing our best to increase our capacities, especially with regard to heated facilities, so that we can take proper care of the refugees and migrants entering our country until their potential departure for Austria," Secretary of State Bostjan Sefic said.

The Slovenia Press Agency (STA) said deploying soldiers on the border has broad support in the nation's parliament and that soldiers could be supporting border police as soon as Wednesday.

Sefic stressed that "partial solutions will bring no good to any of us," and that all of Europe must participate in finding a solution to the crisis.

"It is delusional to expect a country of 2 million to (accomplish) what much larger countries haven't been able to," the government said in a statement.

Also Tuesday, the U.N. High Commission for Refugees said that sea arrivals this year to Greece passed the 500,000 mark.

"It is of utmost importance here, as in other parts of Europe, that reception conditions be adequate to the task, UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming said in Geneva. "Without this essential element, the relocation program ... is in serious peril and may fail."