Pearl River protesters debated whether curse words were protected by the First Amendment before they were arrested for using profanities at motorists and obstructing traffic.

Pearl River police arrested three people last month who were protesting President Donald Trump’s immigration policies at a prominent highway intersection, a move that sparked a larger gathering of protesters and counter protesters on Thursday and raised questions about free speech protections.

About 5 p.m. on Jan. 28, officers with the Pearl River Police Department arrived at the intersection of Louisiana 41 and Louisiana 3081 in Pearl River after receiving complaints that a small group were obstructing traffic and using profanity toward motorists and children on school buses, according to a police department news release.

One of the people, Lauren McKinney, 34, of Slidell, said she had held a sign that said “F— ICE” written on it, referring to one of the agencies leading the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Another person had been using a bullhorn to say the same phrase, and a similar one about Trump, McKinney said.