WOMEN taken into custody by US immigration agents while pregnant accused authorities on Wednesday of providing inadequate care.

In a letter to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), the women demanded the Trump administration stop holding expectant mothers in federal detention facilities.

The letter is part of a broader campaign in recent months by immigrant rights groups to draw attention to what they say is the mistreatment of pregnant detainees.

The Department of Homeland Security has defended its care, saying pregnant detainees get regular prenatal visits, mental health services, nutritional support and accommodations “aligned with community standards of care.”

In addition, Homeland Security Department Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a written statement on Wednesday that such detentions are “exceedingly rare” — and that pregnant women currently account for less than 1 per cent of the total number of Ice detainees in custody.

The letter sent by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) cites accounts from pregnant women who say they were shackled while being transported, placed in solitary confinement for multiple days and given insufficient food and water while detained in Louisiana and Georgia.

The ACLU said that over the past five months it has met with more than a dozen women 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, Ms McLaughlin called it “another disgusting attempt to smear Ice,” arguing that the ACLU used “unsubstantiated” and “unverifiable claims.”

One of the women cited in the letter said that she was kept in handcuffs while being transported to Louisiana — a journey that lasted five hours and spanned two plane rides.

During her time in detention, she alleged that detainees had to “beg” for water and toilet paper.