Samuel L. Jackson leads outrage after Ben Carson refers to slaves brought to US as 'immigrants'

Ben Carson, the new secretary of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is facing a backlash after referring to slaves brought to the United States against their will as "immigrants".

In an introductory speech to staff at the HUD after he was confirmed by the Senate last week, Mr Carson shared anecdotes from his past career as a neurosurgeon and praised immigrants who worked long hours to build a better life for their children.

"There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less," said Mr Carson, who is African-American.

"But they too had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great-grandsons, great-granddaughters might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land," he said.

Enslaved Africans did not voluntarily come to the United States and were denied freedom for hundreds of years.

Actor Samuel L Jackson joined a chorus of criticism on social media. 

“OK!! Ben Carson....I can't! Immigrants? In the bottom of SLAVE SHIPS??!! MUTHAF---- PLEASE!!!,” the Hollywood star tweeted.

Some tweeted the definition of slave, while others joked that the chains that held them was “baggage”. 

A HUD spokesman later called the tempest "the most cynical interpretation of the secretary's remarks to an army of welcoming HUD employees. No one honestly believes he equates voluntary immigration with involuntary servitude."

Mr Carson sought to clarify his comments later in a Facebook post. "The slave narrative and immigrant narrative are two entirely different experiences," he said. "The two experiences should never be intertwined, nor forgotten, as we demand the necessary progress towards an America that's inclusive and provides access to equal opportunity for all."

Mr Carson, a Republican who ran for president against Donald Trump before dropping out and endorsing the billionaire, stirred controversy a number of times during his campaign such as when he said he did not believe a Muslim should be president.

He also raised eyebrows when he said he believed the Egyptian pyramids were built to store grain and not as tombs for pharaohs.