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 the Anti Christ Gilchrist cant stand it so being a coward he called his mommie to pick him up in school. It sound like when Donny the Donkey Silva's kid got beat up in the playgound.

This is where I should have replied.

911 was not caused by a group of hard working day labor workers.

SOS/MMP think they are all the same.

Maybe Frank Jorge can now help make the distinction understandable to them.

I dont think Francisco changed his mind about the undocumented. He had written a plea that he still side with the minuteman. he saw the human side of the undocumented but now at the end of the show it gave a little where francisco is now it said that he will work with the politicians.

That's true. I figure if the emotions he displayed in the show were real, he would have more insight to share with others. But then again, I'm sure he's already had experiences and insight in this sort of thing. I remember him telling a story about a much earlier trip to Mexico, a place he's obviously been to already at least once.

I don't think the show did too much harm to Frank's integrity. Frank didn't specifically say, "I have quit the Minutemen to support the undocumented families." The show just showed various quick clips of him saying things like we're human beings first before anything, that sort of thing. I'm sure an experienced television viewer isn't going to make a solid judgement on Frank based on this one show episode.

Infact showing his emotional side may actually help the Minutemen gain more public approval, from those who react to this aspect. Of course, if the "Gonzales" family really are the way they're shown on the show, it should help the public image of people in that situation a lot more as well.

Overall, I think one hour of television, cut shorter by comercials, is not enough to show the reality of even one family in this situation.

Here's a plea from Francisco made before the show aired. he though that the minuteman will call him a traitor. what if he did not written that plea? will the minuteman still call him a traitor? ofcouse, they will. I think he did not changed that much though.

Going by the show itself, I don't think he changed much either. I'm sure he's had similar experiences before the show.

I haven't viewed that video on Watchdog's site yet, but I'm about to.

I wouldn't be surprised by any squabbles amongst the Minutemen. It's happened between Gilchrist's people, Chase's people, and Simcox's people. There's always people in the mix trying to project their mentality on others. And those who will call people "traitors!" and "Unamerican!" if they don't think the same way they do.