Hordes at the Gates? Look Again

The images of crazed migrant hordes bursting through the checkpoints of Fortress Europe make for great TV -- but leave the wrong impression. This is mainly a movement of ordinary people, forced by war and poverty into taking extraordinary chances.

In Sicily and coastal Turkey this summer, I interviewed Syrian refugees nervously preparing to board whatever boats they could hire for the dangerous sea crossing into Europe, and Africans who had already survived it.

Here are some of their stories.

* * *

'We Will Keep Walking Until We Reach Germany'

Syrian refugees wait in a park in Izmir, Turkey, for their smuggler's signal to depart.

Name: Hala

From: Damascus, Syria

Age: 20

Family: Traveling with her mother, 14-year-old brother and 12-year-old sister

Work/profession: Law student

Interviewed in: A settlement of transient Syrians in Izmir, Turkey

Goal: To join her father and brother in Germany

On a recent night Hala, the pseudonym of a slim, forthright young woman who asked that I not use her real name, waited with her mother and siblings to be picked up for the journey across the Aegean. Her colorful clothing -- a turquoise polo shirt, and a pink headscarf decorated with silver stars -- made her seem optimistic. Each person carried a daypack and a life jacket. But then came the message: the sea was too rough. Maybe they'd go tonight.

A man approaches us: can I help him get treatment in America for his daughter, who has an ailing leg? The Turkish government, Hala says, doesn't offer them health care.

She shrugs: "It's war."

We friend each other on Facebook. She belongs to the kinds of Facebook groups any college student might. Her university's law club. Groups devoted to shopping bargains in Damascus and favorite recipes. Other groups suggest relocation research: one is devoted to learning Turkish; another to "Syrians in Australia."

Her page is mostly filled with joke videos, flowers and sweets she must miss. But one day she posts a picture of a frowny-faced cartoon character, standing at the foot of a steep hill.

"Long distance ahead," she writes.

That post has attracted 55 likes, from friends who write things like "God bless you and your heart, habibi." Hala and her family have already traveled more than a thousand miles; ahead of them are 1,800 more.

The next day Hala messages me that once again the sea was too rough, and that they have once again been delayed.

I don't hear from her again. She stops posting on Facebook and signing on. And I know she's gone.

"Three years ago we saw the explosions and the battles on our street," Hala says. "We left for Turkey, and have been traveling ever since. Our plan was to live and work in Turkey. We spent two months in Ankara. But we couldn't survive there. It's hard to find a job, and even if you do, they try to cheat you. They lower your pay, because they realize you have no choice. You have to take whatever they give you.

Here in Turkey, some people love us and help us; some people hate us. When we first arrived, some Turks we met were afraid we were terrorists; they thought we had a bomb.

My father and brother came this way two months ago. They crossed the sea by boat. They made it, thank God. Now my father is in Germany -- Bonn, I think. He gets 600 euros a month and a house. He is learning the language.

We paid $2,000 each for the journey. We sold all of our jewelry, and took our money with us, wrapped in nylon. We're going on a small boat, with only 40 people. No, no captain. They will push us toward the shore. But Greece is very close; it's right there. It will just take an hour or two; then we will be there.

Hala's aiming for the Greek island of Kos. Located just a few miles from the Bodrum peninsula, it's deceptively safe: it's the same crossing on which the toddler Alan Kurdi died.

"We don't have a choice," Hala tells me. "If we live, we live; if we die, we die. After we land, we plan to walk. We will keep walking until we reach Germany."

* * *

'The Money Was Running Out'

Nadera Kadora Salah traveled from the Turkish-Syrian border to Izmir, Turkey by bus, after her soldier husband was killed in the war. Photo by Ali Riza Çelebi.

Name: Nadera Kadora Salah

From: Damascus, Syria

Age: 61

Family: Traveling alone, after her husband was killed in the Syrian civil war. Has two sons in Holland, and a daughter in Germany

Work/profession: Former hospital volunteer

Interviewed in: A neighborhood of transient Syrians in Izmir, Turkey

Goal: To join her children in Holland or Germany

Salah crossed the Syrian-Turkish border on foot, and then traveled alone by bus across Turkey. Here for about 10 days, she is candid and cheerful, in an elegant black silk scarf, and unafraid to wear some of the jewelry she still owns, such as a brilliant turquoise sapphire ring. The local merchants and restaurateurs help support her, inviting her to eat for free, as she waits for her children in Europe to wire money to pay a smuggler who can put her on a boat to Greece.

"Before the war, we were happy and safe," she says. "We could walk freely in the street. But then it all went bad.

I buried my husband. He was in the army; they killed him in front of me. After that, I had no one left in Syria. Because of the war, I could no longer go into the street at night.

At first, I was volunteering in a hospital. I love to help people. When the wounded came in, I would help with blood transfusions.

But the money was running out. I have two sons in Holland. My daughter is in Germany. I decided there was nothing left to do but to try to go to them. I came here by bus, from the [Syrian-Turkish] border. And I have been here for 10 days now, waiting for my children to send me money.

Am I afraid to go in the boats? I have no choice. There is no other way. I will go to Greece, and my son will be waiting for me on the other side."

* * *

'After You Finish Your Military Service, They Don't Let You Leave'

Mewael, the pseudonym of an English teacher who escaped Eritrea after 10 years of military service, waited in a park in Sicily, for family to wire funds so he could journey to Holland.

Name: Mewael

From: Eritrea

Age: 36

Family: Wife in Eritrea, no children

Work/profession: English teacher, during 10 years of military service

We spoke in a park in Siracusa, Italy, opposite a church that offers migrants meals and showers. There are no sleeping facilities, so guests sleep in the park. Mewael -- a pseudonym; he asked that his real name not be published -- is now out of money, and is waiting for a sister in Saudi Arabia to send him funds.

Goal: To join another sister, who arrived in Holland a year ago and petitioned for political asylum there

"I was an English teacher in the military, teaching children in grades six through nine," he says. "The official term was supposed to be two years. But after you finish your service, they don't let you leave. 'We struggled for 30 years for the freedom of the country,' they tell you. I ended up staying there for 10 years.

Then three years ago, my family arranged a marriage for me. They presented me with a girl, and I accepted. Because of my military assignment, I had no time to meet a wife, and after we were married, I also had no time to see her.

After I was married, everything grew clear. I realized: I am married now, and I have to make my life.

In Eritrea, there's work, but no development. I was earning 500 or 600 nakfa [$33 to $40] a month. That's meaningless money. A house, for example, costs $300,000 or $400,000! I had to do something to help my family. The only way was to escape to another country.

First, I went to Sudan. It was too dangerous to bring my wife, so I went alone. I was three years traveling. And I have not been in contact with my family for all of that time. I did not call my father or mother; I did not speak with my wife. After working in Sudan for those years, I went to Libya, and found a boat. This whole experience, including traveling, including the ship, cost $3,700.

Thank God nothing happened to me. In Libya, they are using girls for sex, and they are hitting the boys. In the houses where they put you to wait for the boats, they kick you if you talk. They treat you like an animal. In the house where I stayed, we were three or four weeks waiting for the person who would take us to the ship. I had no choice by then. The people load you in in any possible way. We had a medium-sized boat, and there were 400 of us in it. I was thinking that the boat was too dangerous.

After 10 hours, someone called an international number. I'm not sure who came for us. But we were picked up by a ship, where I began to hear some English. We were taken to a center in Pozzallo [the Italian government reception center in Pozzallo, Sicily]. I decided not to make an asylum claim, and after five or six days, I left. They don't force you to stay.

I am out of money now, and waiting for my sister to send some from Saudi Arabia. Then I will continue to my other sister in Holland. I have become the leader for these others [he gestures toward a group of a half dozen other Eritrean men and women] I have met here. They don't speak any languages, but now they say they are going to Holland, too. I hope they will be all right. This kind of trip is dangerous, but it is absolutely necessary for people who want to make something of their life.

I would like to study and work in computer science. I think that's something I could do well."

* * *

'I've Come To Europe To Get My Ph.D'

Mohamed Ibrahim (second from left), with traveling companions, in Siracusa, Sicily.

Name: Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim

From: Northern Sudan

Age: 22

Family: Five sisters and four brothers

Profession: Mining engineer

Interviewed in: A park near a church offering meals and showers in Siracusa, Italy

Most of the 75 or so people staying here have been picked up in the Mediterranean by rescue boats in recent days. They've declined to apply for asylum in Italy and are preparing to travel further into Europe, since the word about Sicily is out: here, they'll find only underpaid agricultural work.

"My hope is to get my Ph.D, in any way I can," Ibrahim says. "Anywhere. Even if I lose my life. That's why I have come to Europe.

I worked for a Chinese company, Golden Yacht, after I graduated in mining engineering from the Academy of Sudan [in May 2013]. My family is in Darfur. You understand: my family is Berti; we are an African tribe, and that means there is nothing for us there. Everything is controlled by the Arab tribes, and they give only to their people.

I paid more than $3,000 to cross the sea. First, I went to Cairo. After one week, I went to Libya, where I came together with seven friends. There were 220 people on our boat. We had no captain. Our contact put us on this ship, and said we should aim for that line on the [Italian] coast. He said we should call the Red Cross after four hours. Well, we did call after four hours, but they said we were faraway from international waters -- 109 miles away.

And then we got lost at sea. We all took turns driving. We were out there for 11 days. You know, I was not sorry. I said to myself, 'Maybe we'll arrive, or maybe not. Either we die in Darfur, or we die in the sea.'

Finally we met the Swedish Coast Guard, in international waters. They carried us to Italy, and it took us 28 hours to arrive here.

I kissed the ground! We're celebrating. We made it!

I was born Muslim, but in fact I am not Muslim, or Christian. I believe in better relations between people, and I think it's not useful to say 'Muslim,' and 'Christian.' Like here" -- he gestures toward the church -- "no one asks you why you are here. They don't ask who you are. They say, 'Come eat!"' [And in fact, at noon a messenger on a bike comes to the park to summon the men to lunch.] "The food is pasta, it's pizza. Sure, it is okay. We are happy to have it.

My family are farmers. My oldest brother stayed to help my father. I called home as soon as I arrived. My father said to me: 'Keep going, my son.'

Now I will go to Rome, and from there, let's see. Nobody is staying here; everyone I am talking to has plans. I hope to go to England, to study. That is my dream. When will I go back [to Northern Sudan]? When the government changes, then I will go back."

* * *

This series is part of a "humanizing migration" project, funded with the help of a Rutgers University faculty research grant.

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• Migrants walk down a slope on their way to cross the Greek-Macedonian border near the vilage of Idomeni, northern Greece, on 4 September, 2015. Europe is facing an 'unprecedented humanitarian and political crisis' as it struggles with the huge influx of refugees and migrants, the European Commission's vice-president Frans Timmermans said Thursday. 'We must find European responses to a problem that cannot be resolved by countries individually,' Timmermans said ahead of talks with Greek Prime Minister Vassiliki Thanou on a crisis that has seen more than 230,000 people land on Greek shores this year. AFP PHOTO /Sakis Mitrolidis (Photo credit should read SAKIS MITROLIDIS/AFP/Getty Images)

• Migrants raise hands to catch bottles of waters given by volunteers of humanitarian organizations as they wait to cross the Greek-Macedonian border near the vilage of Idomeni, northern Greece, on 4 September, 2015. Europe is facing an 'unprecedented humanitarian and political crisis' as it struggles with the huge influx of refugees and migrants, the European Commission's vice-president Frans Timmermans said Thursday. 'We must find European responses to a problem that cannot be resolved by countries individually,' Timmermans said ahead of talks with Greek Prime Minister Vassiliki Thanou on a crisis that has seen more than 230,000 people land on Greek shores this year. AFP PHOTO /Sakis Mitrolidis (Photo credit should read SAKIS MITROLIDIS/AFP/Getty Images)

• Turkish soldiers prevent a journalist from crossing the Turkey-Syrian border post in Sanliurfa, on September 4, 2015, prior to the arrival of the hearse carrying the body of three-year old Aylan Kurdi , whose lifeless body washed ashore on a Turkish beach. Images of the toddler Aylan whose lifeless body washed ashore on a Turkish beach spread like wildfire through social media and his plight has dominated international headlines, in a heart-rending symbol of the mortal risks faced by tens of thousands of refugees desperate to reach Europe by sea. AFP PHOTO / OZAN KOSE (Photo credit should read OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images)

• People shout slogans outside of a train that was stopped in Bicske, Hungary, Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. Over 150,000 migrants have reached Hungary this year, most coming through the southern border with Serbia. Many apply for asylum but quickly try to leave for richer EU countries. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

• A man holds onto a fence outside a train that was stopped in Bicske, Hungary, Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. Over 150,000 migrants have reached Hungary this year, most coming through the southern border with Serbia. Many apply for asylum but quickly try to leave for richer EU countries. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

• Asylum seekers sleep at Keleti underground railway station in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. Over 150,000 people seeking to enter Europe have reached Hungary this year, most coming through the southern border with Serbia, and many apply for asylum but quickly try to leave for richer EU countries. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

• Asylum seekers sleep at Keleti underground railway station in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. Over 150,000 people seeking to enter Europe have reached Hungary this year, most coming through the southern border with Serbia, and many apply for asylum but quickly try to leave for richer EU countries. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

• Turkish soldiers take position on a road near the border with Syria as aconvoy of vehicles with Abdullah Kurdi, the Syrian man who survived a capsizing during a desperate voyage from Turkey to Greece has taken the bodies of his wife and two sons back to the Syrian Kurdish region they fled, to bury them in their hometown of Kobani, Syria, drive in Suruc, Turkey, Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. The haunting image of the man's 3-year-old son, Aylan Kurdi, washed up on Turkish beach focused the world's attention on a wave of war-and-deprivation-fueled migration unmatched since World War II.(AP Photos/Emrah Gurel)Turkish soldiers take position on a road near Suruc on the border with Syria as a convoy of vehicles with Abdullah Kurdi, the Syrian man who survived a capsizing during a desperate voyage from Turkey to Greece takes the bodies of his wife and two sons back to the Syrian Kurdish region they fled, to bury them in their hometown of Kobani, Syria. The haunting image of the man's 3-year-old son, Aylan Kurdi, washed up on Turkish beach focused the world's attention on the wave of migration fueled by war and deprivation. (AP Photos/Emrah Gurel)

• People shout slogans outside a train that was stopped in Bicske, Hungary, Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. Over 150,000 migrants have reached Hungary this year, most coming through the southern border with Serbia. Many apply for asylum but quickly try to leave for richer EU countries. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

• Refugees and migrants enter a bus, transporting them to the metro station, after their arrival from the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos to the Athens' port of Piraeus on Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. About 2,500 people arrived with the ferry Eleftherios Venizelos as Greek Government does not seen an end to the flood of refugees and migrants anytime soon with the vast majority of migrants were reaching five eastern Greek islands: with Lesbos seeing 50 percent of arrivals. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

• Migrants grab for food delivered by volunteers as they wait for registration at the reception center for refugees and asylum seekers in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

• Migrants show train tickets as they sit in front of the Keleti (East) railway station in Budapest on September 2, 2015. Hungarian authorities face mounting anger from thousands of migrants who are unable to board trains to western European countries after the main Budapest station was closed. AFP PHOTO / ATTILA KISBENEDEK (Photo credit should read ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images)

• Migrants sit in front of the Keleti (East) railway station in Budapest on September 2, 2015. Hungarian authorities face mounting anger from thousands of migrants who are unable to board trains to western European countries after the main Budapest station was closed. AFP PHOTO / ATTILA KISBENEDEK (Photo credit should read ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images)

• Young migrant shows a train ticket as he sits in front of the Keleti (East) railway station in Budapest on September 2, 2015. Hungarian authorities face mounting anger from thousands of migrants who are unable to board trains to western European countries after the main Budapest station was closed. AFP PHOTO / ATTILA KISBENEDEK (Photo credit should read ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images)

• Migrant boy holds a sign reading 'SOS help me' as he sits with other migrants in front of the Keleti (East) railway station in Budapest on September 2, 2015. Hungarian authorities face mounting anger from thousands of migrants who are unable to board trains to western European countries after the main Budapest station was closed. AFP PHOTO / ATTILA KISBENEDEK (Photo credit should read ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images)

• BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - SEPTEMBER 02 : Migrants protest outside Keleti station which remains closed to them in central Budapest on September 2, 2015 in Budapest, Hungary. Hundreds of migrants protest in front of Budapest's Keleti Railway Terminus for a second straight day on September 2, 2015 demanding to be let onto trains bound for Germany from a station that has been currently closed to them. (Photo by Arpad Kurucz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

• BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - SEPTEMBER 02 : Migrants protest outside Keleti station which remains closed to them in central Budapest on September 2, 2015 in Budapest, Hungary. Hundreds of migrants protest in front of Budapest's Keleti Railway Terminus for a second straight day on September 2, 2015 demanding to be let onto trains bound for Germany from a station that has been currently closed to them. (Photo by Arpad Kurucz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

• BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - SEPTEMBER 03: Migrants board trains in Keleti station after it was reopened this morning in central Budapest on September 3, 2015 in Budapest, Hungary. Although the station has reopened all international trains to Western Europe have been cancelled. According to the Hungarian authorities a record number of migrants from many parts of the Middle East, Africa and Asia are crossing the border from Serbia. Since the beginning of 2015 the number of migrants using the so-called Balkans route has exploded with migrants arriving in Greece from Turkey and then travelling on through Macedonia and Serbia before entering the EU via Hungary. The massive increase, said to be the largest migration of people since World War II, led Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban to order Hungary's army to build a steel and barbed wire security barrier along its entire border with Serbia, after more than 100,000 asylum seekers from a variety of countries and war zones entered the country so far this year. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

• IDOMENI, GREECE - SEPTEMBER 02: A Syrian migrant holds her daughter as they wait to be processed across a border crossing into Macedonia for migrants September 2, 2015 in Idomeni, Greece. Since the beginning of 2015 the number of migrants using the so-called 'Balkans route' has exploded with migrants arriving in Greece from Turkey and then travelling on through Macedonia and Serbia before entering the EU via Hungary. The number of people leaving their homes in war torn countries such as Syria, marks the largest migration of people since World War II. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

• GEVGELIJA, MACEDONIA - SEPTEMBER 2: Migrants wait at the Greek-Macedonian border to cross into Macedonia on September 02, 2015 near Gevgelija. (Photo by Ilin Nikolovski/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

• A local resident offers grapes to an Afghan migrant as they sit at Victoria square, Athens, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, where many migrants stay temporarily before continuing their trip to more prosperous European countries. The country has borne the brunt of a massive refugee and migration flow of people heading into the European Union, with more than 200,000 people arriving so far this year. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

• Hungarian policemen guard an entrance to the Keleti Railway Station in Budapest, Hungary, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, as hundreds of migrants demanded to be let on trains to Germany. Over 150,000 migrants have reached Hungary this year, most coming through the southern border with Serbia. Many apply for asylum but quickly try to leave for richer EU countries. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

• In this Sept. 1, 2015 (18.37gmt/21.37 local) photo Syrian migrants disembark from the catamaran Terra Jet at the Athens' port of Piraeus. About 1,800 refugees arrived from the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos as the country has been overwhelmed by record numbers of migrants this year. The vast majority of the people are from Syria and Afghanistan reaching from the nearby Turkish coasts and try to cross Balkans and continue to more prosperous European countries. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

• In this Tuesday Sept. 1, 2015 (2:14gmt) photo Syrian refugee Abed Hadi,19, feeds his nephew as he sits with other migrants at the railway tracks waiting to cross the borders from Idomeni town, northern Greece to southern Macedonia. Greece has been overwhelmed by record numbers of migrants this year. Nearly all head to Greece's northern border with Macedonia, cross into Serbia and Hungary and go toward more prosperous European countries. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)

• In this Tuesday, Sept 1. 2015, photo, Red Crescent workers, some wearing protective suits, collect the body of a drowned migrant, who washed up along with several others in Zuwara, Libya (65 miles west of Tripoli) after two smuggling boats sank off the coast of Libya last Thursday. More than 2,000 migrants have drowned this year, including 200 last week, chiefly when trying to reach Italy's southernmost islands from Libya. (AP Photo/Mohamed Ben Khalifa)

• Migrants hold up their train tickets outside the Keleti Railway Station in Budapest, Hungary, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015. The station continues to be closed to migrants, other passengers are allowed to enter and trains operate according to schedule. (Zoltan Balogh/MTI via AP)

• Migrants are helped to board on the Norwegian Siem Pilot ship during a rescue operation off the Libyan Coasts, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2015. Four dead bodies and hundreds of migrants were transferred on the Norwegian Siem Pilot ship from an Italian Navy ship and a Doctor Without Borders vessels after being rescued in different operations in the mediterranean sea. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

• A young man sleeps in a window as migrants rest near the Keleti Railway Station in Budapest, Hungary, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, after police stopped them from getting on trains to Germany. Over 150,000 migrants have reached Hungary this year, most coming through the southern border with Serbia. Many apply for asylum but quickly try to leave for richer EU countries. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

• Migrants charge their mobile phones outside the Keleti Railway Station in Budapest, Hungary, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015. The station continues to be closed to migrants, other passengers are allowed to enter and trains operate according to schedule. (Zoltan Balogh/MTI via AP)

• Migrants shout slogans in front of the Keleti Railway Station in Budapest, Hungary, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, as hundreds demanded to be let on trains to Germany. Over 150,000 migrants have reached Hungary this year, most coming through the southern border with Serbia. Many apply for asylum but quickly try to leave for richer EU countries. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

• Migrants hold up their train tickets outside the Keleti Railway Station in Budapest, Hungary, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015. The station continues to be closed to migrants, other passengers are allowed to enter and trains operate according to schedule. (Zoltan Balogh/MTI via AP)

• GEVGELIJA, MACEDONIA - SEPTEMBER 2: Migrants wait at the Greek-Macedonian border to cross into Macedonia on September 02, 2015 near Gevgelija. (Photo by Ilin Nikolovski/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

• GEVGELIJA, MACEDONIA - SEPTEMBER 2: Migrants cross the Greek-Macedonian border near Gevgelija, Macedonia on September 02, 2015. (Photo by Ilin Nikolovski/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

• GEVGELIJA, MACEDONIA - SEPTEMBER 2: Migrants cross the Greek-Macedonian border near Gevgelija, Macedonia on September 02, 2015. (Photo by Ilin Nikolovski/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

• BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - SEPTEMBER 02: A young Syrian girl holds up a sign as migrants protest outside Keleti station which remains closed to them in central Budapest on September 2, 2015 in Budapest, Hungary. The station was closed yesterday in what was said to be an attempt by the Hungarian government to uphold EU law and restore order after recent choatic scenes at the station as migrants attempted to board trains to other parts of Europe. According to the Hungarian authorities a record number of migrants from many parts of the Middle East, Africa and Asia are crossing the border from Serbia. Since the beginning of 2015 the number of migrants using the so-called Balkans route has exploded with migrants arriving in Greece from Turkey and then travelling on through Macedonia and Serbia before entering the EU via Hungary. The massive increase, said to be the largest migration of people since World War II, led Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban to order Hungary's army to build a steel and barbed wire security barrier along its entire border with Serbia, after more than 100,000 asylum seekers from a variety of countries and war zones entered the country so far this year. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

• BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - SEPTEMBER 02: Migrants protest outside Keleti station which remains closed to them in central Budapest on September 2, 2015 in Budapest, Hungary. The station was closed yesterday in what was said to be an attempt by the Hungarian government to uphold EU law and restore order after recent choatic scenes at the station as migrants attempted to board trains to other parts of Europe. According to the Hungarian authorities a record number of migrants from many parts of the Middle East, Africa and Asia are crossing the border from Serbia. Since the beginning of 2015 the number of migrants using the so-called Balkans route has exploded with migrants arriving in Greece from Turkey and then travelling on through Macedonia and Serbia before entering the EU via Hungary. The massive increase, said to be the largest migration of people since World War II, led Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban to order Hungary's army to build a steel and barbed wire security barrier along its entire border with Serbia, after more than 100,000 asylum seekers from a variety of countries and war zones entered the country so far this year. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

• Migrants are helped to board on the Norwegian Siem Pilot ship during a migrant search and rescue mission off the Libyan Coasts, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2015. Four dead bodies and hundreds of migrants were transferred on the Norwegian Siem Pilot ship from an Italian Navy ship and a Doctor Without Borders vessel after being rescued in different operations in the Mediterranean sea. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

• Migrants crowd the main deck of the Norwegian Siem Pilot ship after being rescued off the Libyan Coasts, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2015. Four dead bodies and hundreds of migrants were transferred on the Norwegian Siem Pilot ship from an Italian Navy ship and a Doctor Without Borders vessels after being rescued in different operation in the Mediterranean sea. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

• Migrants are helped to board on the Norwegian Siem Pilot ship during a migrant search and rescue mission off the Libyan Coasts, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2015. Four dead bodies and hundreds of migrants were transferred on the Norwegian Siem Pilot ship from an Italian Navy ship and a Doctor Without Borders vessels after being rescued in different operation in the mediterranean sea. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

• Women from a group of Syrian migrants who refused to board a train to the Debrecen refugee camp gesture as police officers block them on the platform of the Kobanya-Kispest station, Budapest suburb, on September 2, 2015. Hungarian authorities face mounting anger from thousands of migrants who are unable to board trains to western European countries after the main Budapest station was closed. AFP PHOTO / ATTILA KISBENEDEK (Photo credit should read ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images)