President Donald Trump has reportedly lashed out at immigrants in a foul-mouthed Oval Office outburst that a UN spokesman later condemned as "shocking", "shameful" and "racist".
"Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?" Mr Trump reportedly asked lawmakers during talks on an immigration deal, referring to Haiti, El Salvador and African countries.
The reported remark came as lawmakers from both parties visited him on Thursday to propose a bipartisan immigration deal. Democratic Senator Richard Durbin had just been discussing US temporary residency permits granted to citizens of countries hit by natural disasters, war or epidemics.
According to the Washington Post, Mr Trump told lawmakers the US should instead be taking in migrants from countries like Norway. The paper quoted him as saying: "Why do we need more Haitians? Take them out."
UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville said: "If confirmed these are shocking and shameful comments from the president of the United States, I'm sorry but there is no other word for this but racist." He added that such comments went against "universal values the world has been striving for" since the end of World War Two.
