Posted on 07/26/2006 5:51:19 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Immigration activists clashed at the site of the World Trade Center on Wednesday when an anti-illegal immigration group called for secure borders to avoid a repeat of the September 11 attacks and counterprotesters yelled "racists go home."
Members of the Minuteman Project, which patrols the U.S.-Mexican border for illegal immigrants, pushed and shoved members of an immigrant rights group that showed up at the event.
Jim Gilchrist and Jerome Corsi, authors of "Minutemen: The Battle to Secure America's Borders," were whisked away when some immigrant rights supporters broke through a police barrier and scuffled with Minutemen supporters.
Corsi, who also wrote a book critical of Sen. John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign, accused President Bush of leaving U.S. borders wide open.
"When the World Trade Center was attacked, we saw a failure of the Bush administration to protect our borders and to enforce our immigration laws. This tragedy could be repeated," Corsi said.
Gilchrist and Corsi said they held their event at Ground Zero to dedicate their book to the families of the September 11 victims.
About 50 immigrant rights advocates waved placards reading, "New York is an immigrant town -- Minuteman not welcome," while about 30 anti-illegal immigration protesters held banners that said, "Stop the invasion" and "U.S. jobs for U.S. citizens."
Polls show immigration reform is an important issue to many Americans, but negotiations over immigration reform have stalled in the U.S. Congress. The House of Representatives and the Senate have passed vastly different bills and it is increasingly unlikely the two sides will bridge differences ahead of the November congressional elections.
Senate legislation would give the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants a chance to earn U.S. citizenship, while the House bill that would criminalize illegal presence.
Stephen Durham, 58, was one of 50 activists who protested the Minutemen's appearance in New York.
"I'm really appalled that (the Minuteman Project) would use 9/11 to publicize a plan (to secure U.S. borders) which is fundamentally so unconstitutional and un-American," he said. "We are all immigrants. Immigrant labor built America."
Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project, joins the New Yorkers for Immigration Control and Enforcement for a rally at 'ground zero' Wednesday, July 26, 2006, in New York. The Minuteman Project is a group dedicated to restricting immigration to the United States and are most well known for their citizen observation patrols along the US-Mexico border. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Dr. Jerome Corsi, right, co-author of 'Minutemen: The Battle to Secure America's Borders', makes his way through pro-immigration protesters after a rally at ground zero Wednesday, July 26, 2006, in New York. The Minuteman Project is a group dedicated to restricting immigration to the United States and are most well known for their citizen observation patrols along the US-Mexico border. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Pro-immigration protesters out number members of the Minuteman Project and New Yorkers for Immigration Control and Enforcement during a rally at ground zero Wednesday, July 26, 2006, in New York. The Minuteman Project is a group dedicated to restricting immigration to the United States and are most well known for their citizen observation patrols along the US-Mexico border. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Guiterrez, left, speaks as Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy listens during a meeting with Georgia business leaders to discuss immigration reform, Tuesday, July 25, 2006, in Atlanta. Over the last few weeks, Gutierrez has pushed for a temporary worker program and a path to legalization for the millions of illegal immigrants who live in the U.S. (AP Photo/John Amis)
Isn't the second line of that story an outright lie based on the rest of the drivel?
Funny I never saw the left calling the Soviet Unino racist all those years. But then, they were only persecuting Jews.
Since the imigrant rights people broke through police lines I would guess that if there was any scuffeling it was the Minutemen trying to defend themsleves.
You need an interpreter to read a news story!
Segment on today's activity in NYC coming up next on Fox and H&C.
That jumped right out at after I read the subsequent two sentences. Ridiculous.
ping
It is a shame that this was held during a weekday. The other side can easily get off work. We don't have that luxury.
Corsi and Gilchrist up now,,
Alan Colmes doing his usual hatchet job on past writings and apologized writings by Corsi.
Hey Alan, You'll always be a loser, no matter what the national language is or should be. PUTZ!
Wow, a whole 2 minutes for the Minutemen in NYC at Ground Zero. Thanks Fox. (Now dump Colmes and let Michelle Malkin have his "job")
ping
>>>Isn't the second line of that story an outright lie based on the rest of the drivel?
Amazing bump for Reuters' crack team of "Reporters."
You'd think these "experienced" reporters at Reuters could get their own slanted article at least consistent. But they couldn't -- because then they couldn't lie. The inconsistency sets up the lie and the slanted title and lead.
We should be thankful that they are so obvious.
Immigrant rights supporters! THEY ARE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT RIGHTS SUPPORTERS. Legal immigrants have rights.
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