BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - Buffalo police have arrested nine people to end a peaceful protest of the government’s treatment of immigrants that blocked a busy Buffalo intersection.

Police moved in after about three hours Thursday afternoon and led away protesters sitting in the street outside a building housing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Earlier, several dozen people banged cowbells and drums as they walked in a circle in the intersection, carrying signs that said: “Reunite families now,” and “Close the camps.”

Organizers say they were protesting the overcrowded and unsanitary conditions of migrant detention facilities along the southern border.

City officials say the protest was unannounced and that organizers did not seek a permit.

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