In pictures: The Trump administration's 'zero tolerance' immigration policy that's separating families

A new Trump administration policy to prosecute everyone who crosses into the United States illegally has resulted in thousands of children being separated from their families.

The so-called zero tolerance policy has been criticized by religious groups and medical organizations, with experts saying children could face long-lasting trauma.

President Donald Trump has blamed Democrats for the policy of separating families, with no grounds for such a claim, while others in his administration, including White House chief of staff John Kelly, have called the policy a strong deterrent against illegal immigration.

This 77,000-square-foot facility, known as Ursula, is the nation's largest immigration processing center.

The facility houses hundreds of children, who sleep on mattresses on the concrete floor. Their blankets are Mylar.

According to NBC News, which visited the facility, only four social workers were available to care for the hundreds of children held in the facility's wire enclosures.

The Casa Padre facility in Brownsville, Texas, used to be a Walmart and now houses almost 1,500 boys ages 10 to 17.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., was denied access to Casa Padre on June 3. The complex's more than 300 rooms lack doors and ceilings, according to CNN.

A 2-year-old cries while her mom, who is seeking asylum, is searched near the U.S-Mexico border.

The U.S. government could hold as many as 30,000 migrant children by August, according to The Washington Examiner, which cited government officials.

Asylum-seekers from Central America are taken into custody by border patrol agents near McAllen.

Immigrant children are being housed in tents next to the Mexican border in Tornillo, Texas.

The inside of a dormitory at the Tornillo facility, a shelter for children of detained migrants, is seen in this photo provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in Tornillo, Texas.