"People should always be used when a collective noun referring to the entirety of a group or nation (i.e., "the French People") is called for. For references to groups of a specific or general number, either people or persons may be used. However, modern style guides tend to prefer people where earlier guides preferred persons, especially for countable groups. "
https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/people-vs-persons
Then again, I'm not a language prescriptivist. I post the above only to demonstrate that the use of "persons" is hardly unusual.