Two members of a civilian border-patrol group similar to the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps were depicted as guilty of murder in tonight's episode of NBC's "Law & Order."

WND screen capture of NBC's promotion of 'Law & Order' comparing the Minutemen to murderers

But the show which often promotes its plots as being "ripped from the headlines" came under fire from the co-founder of the group, who claimed on-air promotions of the episode portrayed the real-life Minutemen as murderers.

The hour-long episode, titled "New York Minute" perhaps as a reference to the Minutemen, centered on the probe into the murder of a human smuggler responsible for the deaths of a truckload of illegal aliens. Some of the dialogue referred to "The Countrymen Project" which sought to protect the U.S. from illegal border crossers:

• "These men confronted foreign invaders in the desert."

• "You're not terrified to see more buildings fall, more planes crash?"

• "What kind of a country locks up its patriots?"

It also depicted an illegal alien as a sympathetic character who testified against the "Countrymen" despite the fact she had been in the U.S. illegally for a decade without paying taxes.

"Our interest is in this homicide, not in sending you away," said the fictional prosecutor.

As WorldNetDaily reported earlier today, Minuteman Project co-founder Chris Simcox had sent a letter to NBC demanding the network "cease and desist" airing the promo for the episode.

(Video of the promo is available on NBC's "Law & Order" page).

According to Simcox's Minuteman group, the promo includes the following verbiage:

ANNOUNCER: Wednesday, new "Law and Order" ... 12 immigrants, cooked alive in a boiling hot truck.

CHARACTER: You classify that as something going down?

ANNOUNCER: Was it murder? Or Minutemen protecting our borders?

CHARACTER: Nathaniel shouldn't go to jail for protecting this country!

ANNOUNCER: The episode that will enrage America!

CHARACTER: You don't know nothing!

ANNOUNCER: New "Law and Order," Wednesday on NBC.

As the announcer delivers the Minutemen line, the word "Minutemen" is flashed on the screen.

A statement from the Minuteman organization says Simcox's letter was faxed to the office of NBC President Jeffrey Zucker this morning after the legal department for NBC failed to respond.

Simcox also demanded NBC remove all mention of the Minutemen from the episode before it is aired at a later date and that NBC broadcast on its network an apology to the Minutemen as many times and in the same time slots as the promotions were aired.

"The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps Inc. and its sister organization, the Minuteman Project Inc., are the recognized founders and leaders of the civilian border watch and day labor site observation movement," said Simcox in a statement. "The public and the media routinely refer to our members as 'Minutemen' and 'Minuteman' when talking about the issues of border security and illegal immigration.

"By publicly and repeatedly accusing the Minutemen of murder on its network, and by its promise to 'enrage America,' NBC is inciting the public, which will likely result in acts of violence against members of the Minutemen and their families."

Simcox said there had not been "one incident of a member of our organizations committing acts of violence on our patrols, let alone murder."

In an e-mail to supporters, Simcox said his organization would hold NBC responsible "for any and all violence, persecution, brutality, aggression, hostility and 'hate crimes' toward Minutemen the promotions incite."

Simcox asked Minuteman supporters across the nation to contact their local NBC affiliates to urge them not to run the episode.

He got some feedback throughout the day, including one from NBC station KPRC-TV in Texas, which stated:

"Thank you for your e-mail. Unfortunately, I believe you are sending it to the wrong place. As the network affiliate, we have no choice but to air this program. I encourage you to voice your concerns directly to the network ... ."

Supporters of the Minutemen wrote to NBC, saying: