AP PHOTOS: Lady Liberty as a symbol of immigration to the US

The Statue of Liberty is at the center of a national debate on immigration after a top Trump administration official offered the president's own interpretation of the famous inscription that has welcomed immigrants to the United States for more than a century.

The acting director of Citizenship and Immigration Services, Ken Cuccinelli, who is an immigration hardliner, said Tuesday that the poem by Emma Lazarus referred to "people coming from Europe" and that America is looking to receive migrants "who can stand on their own two feet."

Lazarus' poem, written in 1883 to raise money to construct the Statue of Liberty's pedestal, was cast in bronze beneath the monument in 1903. The statue and the poem's words have served as a beacon to millions of immigrants as they first entered the nation in New York Harbor. It reads: "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore."

FILE - In this June 2, 2009, file photo, the Statue of Liberty stands in New York harbor. (AP PhotoRichard Drew, File)

Cuccinelli's comments came as Democrats and immigrant-rights groups blasted a new Trump administration policy that could deny green cards to migrants who seek public assistance, saying the changes would scare immigrants away from asking for needed help.

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 referred to Central American and African nations as "shithole" countries and suggested the U.S. take in more immigrants from European countries such as predominantly white Norway.

FILE - In this Nov. 14, 1995, file photo, Sonja Kuhnelt of Germany peers out a ferry window at the Statue of Liberty as a small group of visitors wait on the dock to board the vessel. (AP PhotoAdam Nadel, File)

FILE - In this July 29, 2010, file photo, with the Statue of Liberty behind them, a coalition of immigrant groups and their supporters march across the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. (AP PhotoSeth Wenig, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 13, 2013, file photo, the Statue of Liberty looms over a visitor as he uses binoculars to look out onto New York Harbor in New York. (AP PhotoJohn Minchillo, File)

FILE - In this June 29, 1954, file photo, the Statue of Liberty stands in New York Harbor as the ocean liner Queen Mary goes past as seen from a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter. (AP PhotoFile)

FILE - In this undated file photo, a group of immigrants who arrived at Ellis Island in New York wait in line to begin immigration proceedings. Ellis Island, the former immigration inspection station, is adjacent to the Statue of Liberty. (AP PhotoFile)

FILE - In this Oct. 28, 1956, file photo, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Roerich from Bavaria, Germany, look out from the stern of the USNS General Langfitt anchored in New York Harbor carrying over a 1,000 refugees from Europe. In the background is the Statue of Liberty. The couple planned to settle in Ohio. (AP PhotoFile)

FILE - This Oct. 7, 2014, file photo, shows the Statue of Liberty during a visit by President Barack Obama, in New York. (AP PhotoEvan Vucci, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 17, 1985, file photo, workers remove scaffolding from the Statue of Liberty, in New York. (AP PhotoMario Cabrera, File)

FILE - In this July 31, 2015, file photo, a blue moon rises behind the torch of the Statue of Liberty seen from Liberty State Park in Jersey City, N.J. A blue moon happens when the moon rises in its full stage twice during the same month. (AP PhotoJulio Cortez, File)

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A high-level U.S. delegation met Sunday with the head of Bangladesh's interim government, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, to affirm “dedication to fostering inclusive economic growth," according to the American embassy in Dhaka.

Yunus took over after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country last month amid a mass uprising. She was accused of corruption, violation of human rights and excessive use of force against the protesters.

During her 15-year rule, Hasina enjoyed close relations with India, China and Russia who have heavily invested in the country’s infrastructure development, trade and investment. The U.S. has also become the single largest foreign investor in Bangladesh under Hasina.

Yunus on Sunday said he sought U.S. support “to rebuild the country, carry out vital reforms, and bring back stolen assets,” his press office said in a statement after he met the delegation at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka.

He told the U.S. representatives his interim administration has moved fast to “reset, reform, and restart” the economy, initiate reforms in financial sectors, and fix institutions such as the judiciary and police, the statement said.

The U.S. delegation, led by Brent Neiman, assistant secretary for International Finance at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, had representatives from the U.S. Agency for International Development, and Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Donald Lu, assistant secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, joined the delegation after visiting India.

They met with several officials in Dhaka, including Touhid Hossain, the country’s adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The USAID also signed an agreement to provide $202.25 million in aid to Bangladesh.

The U.S. embassy on X underscored how American companies are entrenched in the South Asian country.

“With the right economic reforms in place, the American private sector can help unlock Bangladesh’s growth potential through trade and investment,” the embassy wrote on its official account.

The delegation also met representatives of the American companies under the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham) operating in Bangladesh upon arriving Saturday.

Concerns over safety and lack of order in Bangladesh were relayed by the companies' agents.

AmCham President Syed Ershad Ahmed said at the meeting that while there were improvements after the interim government was installed, “there are some bottlenecks too.” Profit repatriation amid the ongoing crisis of U.S. dollars and challenges in the supply chain resulting from congestion at ports were among the issues he raised.

The meeting came as unrest took hold of the country's major garment industry with workers walking out, leaving factories shuttered, as they demanded better benefits including higher wages. The factory owners, the government and workers’ leaders are holding meetings to ease the tension.

Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate-induced disasters. The U.S. embassy on its official Facebook page said the United States wanted to help it "mitigate climate risks.”

Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed, Adviser to Bangladesh's interim government's Ministry of Finance, center, speaks to media personnel after the signing of the 6th amendment of 'The Development Objective Grant Agreement (DOAG)' between US and Bangladesh, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Md. Jashim Uddin, Foreign Secretary in Bangladesh's interim government, speaks to media personnel after the signing of the 6th amendment of 'The Development Objective Grant Agreement (DOAG)' between the United States and Bangladesh, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Anjali Kaur, Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Asia, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), center, speaks to media personnel after the signing of the 6th amendment of 'The Development Objective Grant Agreement (DOAG)' between US and Bangladesh, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Reed J. Aeschliman, USAID Mission Director for Bangladesh, front left, and A. K. M. Shahabuddin, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Bangladesh, pose for a photograph with other officials after signing the 6th amendment of 'The Development Objective Grant Agreement (DOAG)' in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

This photo handed out provided by Bangladesh Press Information Department (PID) shows Brent Neiman, US Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Finance and Development, left, speaking with Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh's interim government's leader, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Sep. 15, 2024. (PID via AP)