New York: A protester has scaled the base of the Statue of Liberty, forcing the evacuation of the iconic landmark on a public holiday in the United States.

A small group of people staged a protest against US President Donald Trump's immigration policies at about 4pm (local time) on Wednesday, hours before major fireworks displays were due to kick off on New York's East River as part of Independence Day celebrations.

Seven people were arrested but one woman managed to scale the base of the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island.