Immigration protesters arrested for blocking traffic at Detroit Windsor tunnel

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Immigration protesters sat down, legs crossed in the middle of the street at the entrance of the tunnel to Canada in downtown Detroit.

The large group wanted to shut down traffic, and did just that, during rush hour Wednesday, singing "we will not be moved."

They blocked traffic in and out to highlight what they feel is broken in the immigration system, sending a message near the second night of Democratic Debates. 

"That's the message we wanted to send to the candidates - you need to put your body on the line for us," said Nelly Fuentes, organizer Movimiento Cosecha MI.  "This is exactly what goes on, police, come, police detain us, police put us in the truck, and then we disappear and are never seen again."

Police say more than 20 people were arrested in demonstration. 

FOX 2: "Would you characterize this as peaceful?"

"When I have an international border disrupted, when I can't have one of my major thoroughfares coming in and out of the city disrupted, that is not peaceful, that's disruptive, that's anarchy," said Cmdr. Darin Szilagy. "And I have to protect against that."

FOX 2: "But no acts of violence?"

"Not that I am aware of," Szilagy said.

"There was absolutely nothing violent," said Fuentes.

FOX 2: "To you, you would characterize that civil disobedience as a peaceful protest?"

"One hundred percent," Fuentes said.

Organizers with Cosecha Movement or Movimiento Cosecha Michigan, specifically call this mass disruption and civil disobedience to use the national platform of the Democratic Debates in Detroit to wage their fight.

And for them their fight over family separations, detentions centers and deportation is very personal. Fuentes says her ex-husband was deported.

"It was really hard for him to lose us, to lose his children," she said. " (He is) the motive for me to fight, to be in this fight for sure."

All of the protesters were taken to the Detroit police detention center and we understand they were all ticketed and released. Some still may have to appear for court dates.