A group of activists has unveiled a banner reading 'refugees welcome' on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.

The activists said the sign was put up in response to US President Donald Trump's attempt to introduce a travel ban on people from seven majority-Muslim countries and general immigration policies.

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Speaking to Fusion, one of the activists known only as David, said: "This was first conceived in response to what's been called the 'travel ban' of the Trump administration, which flies in the face of the founding principals of the United States.

"The Statue of Liberty is our best symbol of the role that immigrants have played and continue to play every day in this country."

Trump's administration has made it clear it intends to deport those people living in the US without documentation.

David added that tourists who witnessed the banner being hung were largely supportive. "We left, and as we were taking the ferry home, [the banner] was still hanging.

"I would imagine that the National Park Service staffers who also make this country great who are working there—I would be surprised if anyone who cares about the history of the Statue of Liberty did not agree with what we were saying."

A number of people on social media have shared pictures of the banner. It is illegal to attach signs or banners to national monuments in the US.

Donald Trump