Story highlights Croatia opens its borders to refugees and migrants

"We will treat the refugees humanely," Croatia's interior minister says

Hungary's closing of its borders spurred the migrants' move into Croatia

Sid, Serbia (CNN) "Come on guys, don't be scared," a Croatian police officer says as he urges a dozen worried migrants and refugees to step across the border into his country.

Again and again Wednesday, this scene repeated itself in cornfields straddling the non-demarcated border between Serbia and Croatia. People who have endured so much worried and wondered whether they should take those fateful steps.

Many did. By evening, the initial trickle of people who trudged on a dusty dirt road in the direction of Croatia had swelled into a steady stream.

Each batch of new arrivals paused for a few minutes until Croatian police officers escorted them into waiting police vans that would take them to a transit center for registration.

Croatia's open-door policy stands in sharp contrast to neighboring Hungary, where authorities have used tear gas and water cannons to push back migrants and refugees.

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