Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told Congress the government has "nothing to hide" over the Ceuta crisis, announcing he had ordered the publication of a full dossier of documents for public scrutiny.
He backed officers who "chose to defend human life" during the mass crossing from Morocco in July, while blaming a surge of social media messages for fuelling the influx of migrants.
In an address lasting just over one hour, Sánchez said more than 90% of arrivals were returned within 72 hours, calling it "one of the fastest return processes in European history," and insisted no intelligence service had anticipated the crossing.
His speech follows a day of mass protests across Spain in mounting opposition and criticism over the government's handling of the crisis and Morocco's role in it.
"The Government has nothing to hide in this matter and I have ordered the publication of a dossier with all the documents so that the public can examine them. Absolute transparency and public access to all documents," Sanchez told Congress.
