The European Union's border agency says that members of the bloc have agreed to provide 291 border guards to be deployed immediately to Greece and Italy to help identify and register migrants. In a statement, the agency's director, Fabrice Leggeri, said he hopes that countries will continue to volunteer more guards even though a deadline for the call has passed. Slovenian police used pepper spray to try to prevent some 200 migrants from jumping ahead of a long line of people waiting to enter Austria, but it took a barrier set up by Austrian police to stop them. Austrian police spokesman Joachim Huber said in Spielfeld that despite the presence of 700 migrants and the expected arrival of hundreds more "I think we are well prepared, so we can handle the new rush." Justice Minister Anders Anundsen says immigration in Norway is "controlled and strictly regulated" and it's important that officials send "a clear signal" to people who don't need protection or have legal residence in Russia. Anundsen said Tuesday that officials had seen several cases of people coming in who had "strong connections to Russia through dual citizenship, residence permits or visas." Slovenia's government says it plans to boost capacity at reception centers for migrants to up to 14,000 beds, and it again accused neighboring Croatia of not sticking to arrangements regarding the flow of migrants toward Slovenia. Bostjan Sefic, state secretary at the interior ministry, said Tuesday that the last 24 hours had been the "most difficult, the most challenging" in Slovenia's effort to deal with the thousands of migrants reaching the country since Hungary closed its border with Croatia on Saturday and forced migrants to find new routes toward Germany and western Europe. Interior Ministry spokeswoman Daiga Holma said Tuesday that the fence, equipped with high-tech sensors, will cover 90 kilometers of the land border in several sections. The fence was planned well before the migrant crisis in Europe but Holma says the project has become "a priority" because of fears that traffickers will use Latvia as a route for immigrants. The letter says the Netherlands does not have enough regular asylum-seeker reception centers to house all the new arrivals and adds, "That is why you are receiving an austere reception, such as in sports centers or tents, where many people share the same lodgings." The minister says even if people are granted asylum, housing shortages mean they may have to remain in asylum-seeker accommodation or be housed in converted shipping containers or converted office blocks. Croatia's interior minister says his country is trying to coordinate the transfer of migrants with Slovenia, which has accused its neighbor of failing to manage the relentless flow of people. Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Croatia had asked Slovenian police on Monday where they wanted to receive the migrants, but had yet to receive a reply. Swedish police are investigating suspected arson at an asylum center in southwestern Sweden where 14 people were safely evacuated from the burning building early Tuesday. On Saturday, a disused school that planned to house 80 refugees was burned to the ground in southern Sweden, and on Sunday, another old school building meant for asylum accommodation near Kungsbacka, in southwestern Sweden, also burned down. Melissa Fleming of the U.N. refugee agency, which estimated 502,000 arrivals this year, said those recently arriving are facing worsening winter weather and the prospect that European countries could close their borders. Austrian police say that the country's main border crossings with Slovenia are quieter after the arrival Monday of more than 4,000 migrants fleeing war and hardship. Families with small children were putting on clothes they could find, lighting small fires, curling up in tents or under blankets and sleeping bags. Croatia has been sending migrants to the border with Slovenia since Saturday, when Hungary blocked passage to migrants from Croatia with a border fence protected by razor wire, soldiers and police patrols.
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