(CNN) US President Donald Trump is expected to sign a new executive order this week that would temporarily halt travel from citizens of seven nations he says pose a high risk of terrorism.

Before it was halted in the courts, his initial order -- which banned travel for citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, barred all refugees for 120 days, and refugees from Syria indefinitely -- caused chaos at airports and prompted outrage around the world.

German chancellor Angela Merkel warned against imposing a "general suspicion" on all Muslims; French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said that welcoming refugees was "a duty of solidarity."

But many European countries are beginning to curb their own refugee programs, after years of pressure caused by high levels of migration.

At least 12,472 refugees and migrants have arrived on Europe's shores since the beginning of 2017, according to the UN refugee agency -- only slightly less than the 12,587 Syrian refugees admitted by the US in all of last year.

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This month, representatives from 15 countries met to discuss fortifying their borders to make it harder for migrants to reach central and western parts of Europe.

And earlier this year, EU leaders outlined plans to "stem the flow" of migrants traveling across the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy, and boost the ability of the EU to send people back.

"The key priority is reducing the flow without any consideration for the causes of migration," Dr Nando Sigona, an expert in migration at Birmingham University's School of Social Policy , told CNN.

"By closing down the routes they are making people even more vulnerable to danger and violence."

Here's how some European countries have been making changes:

UK: Child refugee program halted

Children protest their case to the UK government at the now-demolished Jungle camp in Calais in October 2016.

The UK government recently announced it was halting a program to resettle lone refugee children, after 350 had been brought to Britain. Campaigners had hoped that 3,000 children would benefit from the scheme, introduced last year.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd told the House of Commons the government did not want the so-called Dubs amendment to act as a "pull factor" encouraging unaccompanied minors to travel to Europe: "We do not want to incentivize perilous journeys to Europe, particularly by the most vulnerable children."

Alfred Dubs, who came to the UK as a child refugee on the "Kindertransport" from the Czech Republic in 1939 and who designed the program, expressed his dismay at the decision. "It's bitterly disappointing," the Labour politician told CNN's Christiane Amanpour. "I think they wanted to shut the thing down and found any excuse to do it."

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NGO Help Refugees is taking legal action against the government over their handling of the Dubs amendment. In a statement , they allege that the Home Secretary's "failure to implement her Dubs duties towards unaccompanied children in Calais ... contributed to [them] being exposed to serious human rights violations." The case will be heard in June.

The government's move is just the latest in a series of measures designed to reduce the number of child refugees eligible to come to the UK.

In November 2016, the Home Office issued new guidance barring unaccompanied refugees from Afghanistan, Yemen and Eritrea older than 12, who were living in the now-demolished "Jungle" camp at Calais in northern France, from entering the UK if they have no family there.

Germany: Asylum seekers returned

A Syrian refugee holds a picture of German Chancellor Angela Merkel as he and hundreds of others arrive in Munich.

More than 250,000 people were given refugee status in Germany in 2016, many of whom had arrived the previous year when Chancellor Angela Merkel threw the country's doors open to refugees, but there are signs that attitudes are hardening.

In accordance with European Commission recommendations, from March, Germany will begin returning asylum seekers to Greece, if that was the first safe country in which they arrived, a spokeswoman for the German Ministry for the Interior told CNN. This process was halted in 2011 due to "systemic deficiencies in the Greek asylum system."

A recent report by Amnesty International highlighted the "dire conditions" in Greek camps, citing "overcrowding, freezing temperatures, lack of hot water and heating, poor hygiene, bad nutrition, inadequate medical care, violence and hate-motivated attacks."

In a further sign of changing views, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere recently announced that border controls with Austria -- introduced as a short-term measure in September 2015 -- would continue indefinitely.

If Europe cannot reliably protect its external borders, De Maiziere said in a speech, Germany will implement "appropriate national border controls against illegal immigration."

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Italy: Calls for deportation of migrants

Thousands of immigrants risk their lives trying to reach the Italian island of Lampedusa in rickety, overloaded boats.

has called for the Italy's chief of police, Franco Gabrielli,has called for the detention and deportation of migrants , who he blames for "instability and threats" in the country. Gabrielli's comments, published in a circular on December 30, 2016, align closely with the government's position.

Italy's Interior Minister, Marco Minniti, has announced that one new detention center will be opened in every region, that asylum assessments will be speeded up, and that the ministry will double the funds available for voluntary returns.

The Association for Legal Studies on Immigration (ASGI) has strongly criticized the proposals , expressing its "full opposition to the opening of new identification and expulsion centers ... as well as any type of action ... which results in an increase of automatic expulsion orders without adequate assessment of individual situations."

The Netherlands: Election sparks rethink

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has adopted a zero-tolerance approach to immigrants who are unwilling to sign up to the country's way of life, telling those who "refuse to adapt and criticize our values" to "behave normally or go away."

In the open letter, published on his VVD party's website , Rutte talked of the "growing discomfort" felt by Dutch people when those who have recently arrived in the Netherlands abuse the freedom that the country offers.

"We must continue to make clear what is normal and what is not normal in this country," he wrote. "We will have to actively defend our values."

The letter echoes his party's election manifesto , which argues that the current migration system is "untenable" and promises to speed up deportations. The party pledges to invest in caring for refugees in the Middle East in order to reduce the number traveling to Europe.

Center-right PM Rutte is facing a closely-fought election battle with far-right anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders. Wilders was recently convicted of inciting discrimination

Photos: 24 hours of Europe's migration crisis Migrants wear identification bracelets aboard a Norwegian ship during a search-and-rescue mission off the Libyan coast on Tuesday, September 1. Europe is in the midst of a migration crisis. Desperate men and women, often with children in tow, are fleeing wars and poverty to find a better life on the continent. But their voyages, both on land and on sea, can be dangerous and sometimes deadly. Hide Caption 1 of 13 Photos: 24 hours of Europe's migration crisis Hide Caption 2 of 13 Photos: 24 hours of Europe's migration crisis The body of a drowned migrant remains on a shore in Zuwara, Libya. In the last week , two boats carrying hundreds of people capsized near Zuwara, killing at least 84, officials said. Hide Caption 3 of 13 Photos: 24 hours of Europe's migration crisis A migrant shouts at Macedonian police officers while trying to cross Greece's northern border into Macedonia. About 1,500 migrants were waiting to cross the border. Hide Caption 4 of 13 Photos: 24 hours of Europe's migration crisis A young girl from Iraq waits for registration with her family outside the main station in Munich, Germany. Hundreds of migrants are arriving every day. Hide Caption 5 of 13 Photos: 24 hours of Europe's migration crisis Migrants sit outside the main station in Munich as they wait for their chance to register. Hide Caption 6 of 13 Photos: 24 hours of Europe's migration crisis A group of refugees continues its journey through Hungary after crossing the Serbian border. Hide Caption 7 of 13 Photos: 24 hours of Europe's migration crisis Syrian refugees walk across railways tracks next to the Serbian town of Horgos to cross the border and enter Hungary. Hide Caption 8 of 13 Photos: 24 hours of Europe's migration crisis Migrants sit in a police bus in Pocking, Germany, after making their way to the country from Austria. Hide Caption 9 of 13 Photos: 24 hours of Europe's migration crisis Migrants from Afghanistan drink tea at a Paris school where they found shelter. Hide Caption 10 of 13 Photos: 24 hours of Europe's migration crisis A migrant sleeps on a sidewalk in Berlin near the reception center for refugees and asylum seekers. Hide Caption 11 of 13 Photos: 24 hours of Europe's migration crisis Migrants walk on a rocky beach in Ventimiglia, Italy, where they set up camp near the French border. Hide Caption 12 of 13 Photos: 24 hours of Europe's migration crisis Refugee children sleep near a railway station in Budapest, Hungary. Hide Caption 13 of 13

Serbia: Newcomers fear being sent back

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Aleksandar Vulin, Serbia's Minister for Labour, Employment, Veterans' and Social Affairs, insists the government has provided facilities for all migrants in the country.

And Ivan Miskovic, from Serbia's Commissariat for Refugees and Migration, says that the migrants who are living in the depot are there because they have refused to claim asylum

Photos: Migrants head to Europe in the cold Photos: Migrants head to Europe in the cold On a freezing cold morning, with temperatures below zero Celsius, large groups of refugees were coming to Serbia from the direction of Macedonia and Greece. A train leaving from Gevgelija, Macedonia, brought them close to the border crossing, from where they have to walk additional 5 kilometers (3 miles) to reach a registration camp near the village of Miratovac in Serbia. Pictured here, a man named Asim tries to protect his daughter from the cold on the road from the registration center. They traveled for seven days from Turkey to get to this point. Hide Caption 1 of 14 Photos: Migrants head to Europe in the cold Syrian woman Sadia was forced to leave her home two years ago and has been traveling with her family since then. She's disabled, so she has a lot of trouble traveling, but her courage and will are unshakable. Her dream is to go to Germany to live her old years in peace, watching her grandchildren grow up. Hide Caption 2 of 14 Photos: Migrants head to Europe in the cold One of Sadia's family members pushes her wheelchair down a road. Hide Caption 3 of 14 Photos: Migrants head to Europe in the cold Very cold weather in the Balkans did not stop the refugees, although they don't come in such great numbers, compared with the summer of last year. Hide Caption 4 of 14 Photos: Migrants head to Europe in the cold Two men from Syria walk in dense fog along a path connecting a registration center with the town of Miratovac. Because of bad weather and muddy roads, buses were waiting for them 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from there. They were taking them to the Croatian border. Hide Caption 5 of 14 Photos: Migrants head to Europe in the cold Ayra from Aleppo, Syria, started her journey two years ago, when she was forced to flee to Turkey. She is traveling with her daughter Abdusehta. Hide Caption 6 of 14 Photos: Migrants head to Europe in the cold A young boy cries near the Miratovac refugee camp after arriving from Macedonia on a very cold winter morning. Hide Caption 7 of 14 Photos: Migrants head to Europe in the cold Thousands of people have passed along this route dotted by calm, beautiful scenery since last year. The number of refugees has decreased in recent months, but it's still thousands per day. Hide Caption 8 of 14 Photos: Migrants head to Europe in the cold Miratovac's routine was disrupted months ago when refugees began using this route. Today, it is an ordinary sight to see a tractor pass by refugees waiting to board buses. Hide Caption 9 of 14 Photos: Migrants head to Europe in the cold A boy looks out a van window as he and other refugees and their children prepare to leave for a nearby station where they will take a train toward Croatia. Hide Caption 10 of 14 Photos: Migrants head to Europe in the cold A camp in Presevo, Serbia, is a large one-stop center where refugees are registered. They also get papers so they can travel through the country, medical and psychological support, food, and other goods and information. Some, such as families that aren't in a hurry, sleep there; other refugees stop for registration and a short rest. Hide Caption 11 of 14 Photos: Migrants head to Europe in the cold A young woman is escorted to a doctor in the refugee camp in Presevo, Serbia. Hide Caption 12 of 14 Photos: Migrants head to Europe in the cold A doctor puts drops in the infected ears of a boy named Farid while volunteers of the ADRA organization distract him at a refugee center in Presevo. Hide Caption 13 of 14 Photos: Migrants head to Europe in the cold Hussein and his family, from Iraq, board a train in Presevo that will take them to Croatia. They fled because, Hussein says, he feels there is no love in his home country anymore. He hopes to find love in Germany, where he is headed. Hide Caption 14 of 14

But Amnesty International researcher Todor Gardos told CNN many of them are "afraid of going to the accommodation centers."

"There is not a functioning asylum system in Serbia and many people are worried they will just be sent back to the border with Macedonia or Bulgaria, which is a real concern," he said.

Hungary: Asylum seekers face detention

A migrant is overcome by tear gas after Hungarian police repelled an attempt to pull down a razor wire border fence.

The Hungarian parliament introduced a bill on February 14 that requires the police to deport any person who is in Hungary illegally, without allowing any access to an asylum procedure, according to a written statement by the NGO The Hungarian Helsinki Committee

The bill also requires all asylum applications to be automatically held in detention until their claim is processed, according to the NGO.

The NGO describes the proposed changes as "extreme and flagrant violations of European Union asylum law."

"In the last two months, 1,600 cases of illegal push-backs from Hungary and Croatia have been alleged by refugees and migrants, who've been forced -- often violently -- back into Serbia, despite already crossing its border," the NGO said in a report.

According to the UNHCR, Hungary recently cut the number of asylum seeker applications allowed at its border crossings from 20 per weekday to 10.

"The Hungarian authorities are doing everything they can to keep people out," said Amnesty International's Todor Gardos.

Slovenia: Powers to close border

Slovenia's President recently granted the country's parliament the power "to effectively 'close the borders' if this was deemed necessary due to a serious threat ... caused by migrations," according to the Legal-informational centre for NGOs (PIC)

PIC says the amendment to the country's Aliens Act means "all persons arriving irregularly and expressing an attempt for asylum would be forcefully returned without their asylum claims being heard."

"We cannot allow a repeat of such mass migrations as we experienced earlier," he insisted at a press conference . "Our country will help for as long as it has available capacity but then it will have to resort to other measures."

The UNHCR has expressed deep concern about the law, which it says "jeopardize[s] the rights of those fleeing war and persecution to seek asylum."

Poland: Illegal migrants face expulsion

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The Polish government has proposed similar changes to those introduced by Slovenia. According to the ECRE , Poland's draft amendments include "new provisions on border proceedings and the possibility of detention without alternatives."

Introducing the plan, the country's Interior Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said "the main concern is security, followed by sealing the borders, and thirdly the introduction of procedures facilitating the expulsion of people entering -- or trying to enter -- Poland illegally."