In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, women detained by U.S. immigration officials during their pregnancies have voiced concerns over inadequate care in a letter sent Wednesday, urging the Trump administration to cease detaining pregnant women in federal facilities.

This correspondence to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement forms part of a wider initiative by Democrats and immigrant advocacy groups to spotlight what they allege is the poor treatment of pregnant women in detention.

The Department of Homeland Security has defended its practices, asserting that detained pregnant women receive consistent prenatal care, mental health services, nutritional support, and other accommodations that meet community health standards.

Additionally, Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary of the Homeland Security Department, stated in a written message on Wednesday that such detentions are “exceedingly rare,” with pregnant women comprising less than 1% of the ICE detainee population. However, the agency has not released further statistics on detainees who are pregnant, postpartum, or nursing, information that Democrats have persistently requested.

The American Civil Liberties Union’s letter highlights testimonies from pregnant detainees who report being shackled during transport, confined in solitary for extended periods, and provided with inadequate food and water while held in facilities in Louisiana and Georgia.

The ACLU said that over the past five months it has met with more than a dozen females who were pregnant while in ICE custody — including some who had a miscarriage while detained. The women reported “gravely troubling experiences,” the letter states, including lack of translation during medical encounters and medical neglect. One suffered a “severe” infection after her miscarriage.

When asked about the letter, McLaughlin called it “another disgusting attempt to smear ICE.” She argued that the ACLU used “unsubstantiated” and “unverifiable claims.”

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 vaginal bleeding. During her time in detention, 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 arrests 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. They demanded that the agency stop detaining such people unless there are “exceptional circumstances.”

“Proper care for pregnancy is a basic human right, regardless of whether you are incarcerated or not and regardless of your immigration status,” said Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, a California Democrat. She signed onto a Democratic Women’s Caucus letter to DHS officials in July sharing concerns about the “treatment of women” and demanding answers — including how many have given birth while detained.

Kamlager-Dove said she’s working on legislation that would “severely restrict the use of restraints on pregnant, laboring and postpartum women who are in federal custody.”

ICE guidelines already say that agents “should not detain, arrest, or take into custody for an administrative violation of the immigration laws” people “known to be pregnant, postpartum or nursing,” based on a policy sent to the AP by DHS. But the document does state that such people may be detained and held in custody under “exceptional circumstances” or if their release is prohibited by law.

The policy also prohibits using restraints on pregnant detainees, but here too there are exceptions — including if there is a serious threat that the detainee will hurt herself or others, or if “an immediate and credible risk” of escape cannot be “reasonably minimized” through other methods.

___ Gonzalez reported from McAllen, Texas.