A child holds up a sign as migrants stage a protest in a stadium used for traditional Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling as they wait to walk down a highway towards Turkey's western border with Greece and Bulgaria, in Edirne, Turkey, Monday, Sept. 21, 2015.(Photo: Emrah Gurel, AP)
European Union interior ministers are meeting to discuss the ongoing migrant crisis<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Tuesday, as hundreds of refugees camp at the Turkish border with Greece, hoping that a meeting of European leaders Wednesday will result in an agreement to let them into the EU.
The mainly Syrian refugees are staying at a wrestling arena in the city of Edirne, about 5 miles from the Greek border, in the hope of moving on to Greece or Bulgaria and avoiding the alternative and dangerous sea voyage to Greece, the Associated Press reported.
Wednesday, EU leaders will gather for an extraordinary meeting in Brussels on how to deal with Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II, after hundreds of thousands fled<span style="color: Red;">*</span>conflict in counties including Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Eritrea.
The UN Refugee Agency says 477,906 people have arrived in Europe by sea this year and is calling for the EU to take in another 120,000 refugees and migrants "for any relocation program to be credible."
British Prime Minister David Cameron called German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday to discuss Wednesday's summit, his office said.
The two leaders both agreed the EU should "consider its broader response to the crisis, particularly what more it can do to enable Syria's neighbours to cope with the influx of refugees; how it can support a political process in Syria; and what further assistance can be provided to strengthen Europe's external borders," the statement said.
The statement added that Cameron will discuss the same issues with French President Francois Hollande as he visits Britain on Tuesday.
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Hungarian government in newspaper warning to migrants
In a report Tuesday, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said migration is rising and Germany is now second to the U.S. in the number of migrants it receives. Germany is expecting at least 800,000 migrants this year.
In its International Migration Outlook 2015, the OECD — which has 34 member countries including the United States<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said: "Building consensus among European countries to identify and agree on ad hoc emergency solutions has proven particularly challenging, in part because of expected negative reactions in public opinion at the national level."
The report says most resources are being<span style="color: Red;">*</span>devoted to addressing the humanitarian crisis, but adds that<span style="color: Red;">*</span>existing legal migration systems also need to be constantly adjusted.
"Most migration to Europe and the OECD still occurs through legal channels and is managed in an orderly fashion," the report says, adding that public policies need to support the integration of immigrants and their children, including training.
Monday, Hungary's parliament passed new powers allowing the army to be deployed to deter refugees at its borders, including the use of non-lethal weapons such as rubber bullets and tear gas.
It came after the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Hungarian government<span style="color: Red;">*</span>placed advertisements in<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Lebanese and Jordanian newspapers<span style="color: Red;">*</span>warning migrants that they can<span style="color: Red;">*</span>be jailed if they enter the country illegally, and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Hungarian<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Prime Minister Viktor Orban said<span style="color: Red;">*</span>millions of migrants are “laying siege” to Europe's<span style="color: Red;">*</span>borders.
USA TODAY reporter Kim Hjelmgaard is currently traveling the land route taken by many migrants from Lesbos, Greece, to Berlin, Germany. Follow his journey on Twitter and here:
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Reporter's notebook: Walking with migrants
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