A top US immigration official says the famous inscription on the Statue of Liberty, welcoming the world's "tired and poor" to American shores, was referring to "people coming from Europe".

Key points: The New York statue has become a symbol for generations of US migrants

The New York statue has become a symbol for generations of US migrants The official's comments were met with condemnation

The official's comments were met with condemnation Mr Trump appeared to support the official, saying: ""I think we're doing it right"

The comments came in a CNN interview with Ken Cuccinelli, the acting director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, who was referencing Emma Lazarus's poem emblazoned on the pedestal of New York's Statue of Liberty.

Lazarus's poem, written in 1883 to raise money to construct the Statue of Liberty's pedestal and cast in bronze beneath the monument in 1903, served as a beacon to millions of immigrants who passed the statue by boat in New York harbour.

"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore," it reads.

For more than a century, the Statue of Liberty has been a symbol of America's immigration success stories. ( US Library of Congress )

Mr Cuccinelli said the poem was referring to "people coming from Europe where they had class-based societies where people were considered wretched if they weren't in the right class", and added that the US was looking for migrants "who can stand on their own two feet".

He made similar statements in an interview with America's National Public Radio (NPR) earlier on Tuesday, when asked if the words "give me your tired, your poor" were part of the American ethos.

Mr Cuccinelli responded: "They certainly are. Give me your tired and your poor who can stand on their own two feet and who will not become a public charge."

Migrants needing welfare to be denied US visas

Mr Cuccinelli's statements have been supported by President Donald Trump. ( AP: Evan Vucci )

Mr Cuccinelli's comments came a day after the Trump administration announced it would seek to deny permanent residency to migrants deemed likely to seek Medicaid, food stamps, housing vouchers or other forms of public assistance.

The administration's decision prompted an outcry from Democrats and immigration advocates who said the policy would favour wealthier immigrants and disadvantage those from poorer countries in Latin America and Africa.

"This administration finally admitted what we've known all along: They think the Statue of Liberty only applies to white people," tweeted former Texas Republican Beto O'Rourke, a Democratic presidential candidate.

President Donald Trump has spoken disparagingly about immigration from majority black and Hispanic countries, including calling Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals when he launched his 2016 campaign.

Last year, he privately branded Central American and African nations as "shithole" countries and suggested the US take in more immigrants from European countries such as Norway.

'Not fair' for American taxpayers to pay for migrants: Trump

Mr Trump has implemented a restrictive migration policy and has been accused of stoking racial tensions. ( Reuters: Leah Millis )

Mr Cuccinelli is one of a slew of immigration hardliners brought in by Mr Trump to implement the President's policies.

He was appointed to the post in June in a temporary capacity, which doesn't require Senate confirmation.

Mr Trump, asked on Tuesday about Cuccinelli's comments on NPR, appeared to back him up.

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"I don't think it's fair to have the American taxpayer paying for people to come into the United States," Mr Trump said.

"I think we're doing it right."

Immigrant rights groups strongly criticised the Trump administration's new rules for immigrants receiving public assistance, warning that the changes would scare immigrants away from asking for needed help.

And they voiced concern that officials were being given too much authority to decide whether someone is likely to need public assistance in the future.

Another Democratic presidential candidate, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, also condemned Mr Cuccinelli's comments.

"Our values are etched in stone on the Statue of Liberty. They will not be replaced," she tweeted.

ABC/AP