Kirstjen Nielsen, US homeland security secretary, is heckled out of Mexican restaurant by activists over immigration policy

The US homeland security secretary was heckled out of a Mexican restaurant by protesters over Donald Trump's new hardline policy on illegal immigration in America.

Activists crowded round Kirstjen Nielsen's table at the restaurant on Tuesday and repeatedly shouting "shame."

It comes amid a backlash over the US' new "zero tolerance" immigration policy and the separation of children from parents at the southern border.

In footage shared online, activists can be seen surrounding Ms Nielsen's table in the corner of the Mexican restaurant in Washington DC.

Warning, strong language:

The protesters can be heard shouting: "How dare you spend your evening here. You're complicit in the separation of children from their parents."

Security officials stand between the protesters and Ms Nielson's table throughout the demonstration.

It was organised by the Metro DC Democratic Society who wrote on their Facebook page: "The irony isn't lost on us that this is a Mexican restaurant. Nielsen has left the program to tear apart families.

"We are here to tell her to put an end to separating families, to step down as head of department and that ICE and CBP must be abolished."

Nearly 2,000 children were separated from their families over a six week period in April and May after Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the new "zero tolerance" policy that refers all cases of illegal entry for criminal prosecution.

In a statement, Ms Nielsen's spokesman confirmed the incident at the restaurant and described it as "a small group of protesters who share her concern with our current immigration laws that have created a crisis on our southern border.

He added: "The secretary encourages all - including this group - who want to see an immigration system that works, that contributes to our economy, that protects our security and that reflects our values to reach out to members of Congress and seek their support to close the terrible immigration loopholes that have made our system a mess."

Donald Trump has been forced to defend the policy, writing on Twitter that the US would not become "a refugee holding facility" as he compare the potential outcome of a policy shift to "what's happening in Europe."

Earlier this week, distressing images of children held in fenced cages emerged , fuelling a growing condemnation across the US and elsewhere.