By COLLEEN LONG
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - Civil rights groups are seeking an investigation by Homeland Security's watchdog into the practice of sending pregnant women back over the U.S.-Mexico border to wait out their asylum claims.

The complaint filed Friday with the Homeland Security's inspector general details more than a dozen women who have been returned to Mexico. Some were more than eight months pregnant at the time.

More than 45,000 migrants have been returned to Mexico since January. Lawsuits have been filed challenging the practice, and there have been reports of migrants threatened, kidnapped and robbed by cartels.

The complaint argues that vulnerable populations, like pregnant women, should be excluded. It argues women need special medical care they are not receiving.

The complaint was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and Texas Civil Rights Project.

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