Across the country, federal immigration operations have led to confrontations between officers and demonstrators.

In multiple cities, tear gas and flash-bang devices have been deployed into crowds. Courts have found that in some instances, force was used inappropriately or indiscriminately. Videos show chemical agents and explosive crowd-control devices being used even when protesters appeared to be chanting, filming, or standing in place.

The Department of Homeland Security states that officers face real threats and that use-of-force incidents are reviewed. Officers deserve protection when they are in danger.

But peaceful protest is a constitutional right.

Tear gas and flash-bang grenades are not harmless tools. They can cause burns, concussions, broken bones, and lasting trauma. These devices were designed for dangerous tactical situations — not for dispersing nonviolent demonstrators exercising their First Amendment rights.

America can enforce its laws without treating peaceful protest like a battlefield.

We call on Congress and the Department of Homeland Security to immediately prohibit the use of tear gas and flash-bang devices against peaceful protesters and to establish clear, enforceable standards protecting constitutional rights during federal operations.

Public safety and civil liberties are not opposites. We can protect both.

Photo: Victor J. Blue / Bloomberg via Getty Images