UN secretary general Guterres in veiled attack of Trump immigrant ban

The United Nations' new secretary general Antonio Guterres has launched a thinly veiled criticism of US President Donald Trump's executive order to prevent the entry of citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

Trump signed the order last Friday, placing a temporary ban on immigrants arriving from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Somalia and Sudan, much to the ire of rights activists around the globe.

In a written statement in which he did not refer directly to either Trump or the US, Guterres said that border policies created on the basis of race or religion should not be accepted.

"Countries have the right, even the obligation, to responsibly manage their borders to avoid infiltration by members of terrorist organizations," Guterres began.

"This cannot be based on any form of discrimination related to religion, ethnicity or nationality because that is against the fundamental principles and values on which our societies are based."

The secretary general went on to add that such border policies may indeed aid the same terrorist organisations which they are meant to fight against.

It "triggers widespread anxiety and anger that may facilitate the propaganda of the very terrorist organisations we all want to fight against," Guterres wrote.

The US President has faced criticism over the decision to implement the ban, and sacked the acting attorney general Sally Yates following her refusal to enforce the executive order.