African Union 'alarmed' by Trump statement

JOHANNESBURG – The African Union says it is "frankly alarmed" by President Donald Trump's statement in which he used vulgar language to question why the US would accept more immigrants from African countries and Haiti.

"Given the historical reality of how many Africans arrived in the United States as slaves, this statement flies in the face of all accepted behavior and practice," AU spokeswoman Ebba Kalondo tells The Associated Press. "This is particularly surprising as the United States of America remains a global example of how migration gave birth to a nation built on strong values of diversity and opportunity."

She adds that "we believe that a statement like this hurts our shared global values on diversity, human rights and reciprocal understanding."