BATON ROUGE, La. – A group of pregnant women detained by U.S. immigration authorities have raised concerns over the insufficient care they received, urging the Trump administration to halt the detention of expectant mothers in federal facilities. This appeal came in the form of a letter released on Wednesday.

Addressed to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the letter is part of a larger initiative led by Democrats and immigrant advocacy organizations. They aim to spotlight the alleged mistreatment of pregnant women caught up in Trump’s intensified immigration enforcement measures.

The Department of Homeland Security has responded, asserting that pregnant detainees receive regular prenatal check-ups and nutritional assistance. However, the agency has yet to disclose the number of pregnant women currently held, a statistic sought by Democratic lawmakers.

Authored by the American Civil Liberties Union, the letter features testimonies from pregnant detainees who describe being shackled during transport, subjected to solitary confinement, and deprived of adequate food and water in detention centers located in Louisiana and Georgia.

Over the last five months, the ACLU has engaged with more than a dozen pregnant women held in ICE custody, some of whom suffered miscarriages while detained. The women recounted “gravely troubling experiences,” such as the absence of translation during medical visits and instances of medical neglect. One woman developed a severe infection following her miscarriage, highlighting the severity of the conditions reported.

In an interview with The Associated Press, one of those woman said she was kept in handcuffs while being transported to Louisiana — a journey that lasted five hours and spanned two plane rides. The woman, who has since been released from custody and given birth, spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of facing retaliation during her ongoing case.

An officer told her he considered taking off the handcuffs but worried she would escape. “How am I going to escape if I’m pregnant?” the woman said she responded.

She said she felt as if she’d been kidnapped and experienced dizziness, nausea and suffered from vaginal bleeding. During her time in the detention facility, she said pregnant women were not offered special diets and described the food as horrible. She alleged that detainees had to “beg” for water and toilet paper.

The ACLU’s letter is the latest call for an investigation into the arrest and treatment of pregnant detainees.

Senate Democrats wrote Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in September, expressing concerns about the “prevalence and treatment” of pregnant, postpartum and nursing women in ICE custody and demanded that the agency stop detaining such people unless there are “exceptional circumstances.”

Democratic lawmakers have also said information about the number of pregnant women in ICE custody has been difficult to ascertain.

DHS has said that pregnant detainees receive regular prenatal visits, mental health services, nutritional support, and accommodations “aligned with community standards of care.”

“Detention of pregnant women is rare and has elevated oversight and review,” the agency said in an August press release.

___ Gonzalez reported from McAllen, Texas.