GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Some of the children who have been separated from the parents at the U.S.-Mexico border are being cared for in Michigan.

Children of these unauthorized immigrants, caught up in a zero-tolerance policy directed by President Trump's administration, cannot be housed with their parents in adult detention centers.

They're transferred to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to be placed in foster care, with U.S. relatives or in juvenile facilities, including placement in Michigan.

The Michigan Department of Civil Rights announced Tuesday the department will assess the impact of the administration's zero tolerance policy and separation of families at the border on the state of Michigan.

"The policy is a federal issue and beyond the scope of this department's responsibilities under law," Executive Director of Michigan Department of Civil Rights Agustin V. Arbulu said in a statement Tuesday. "But for those children who have been separated from their parents and brought to Michigan, the Department of Civil Rights has a duty to make sure their civil rights are protected."

It was in April that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the zero-tolerance policy for illegal entry into the country, which directs U.S. Attorney's Offices along the southwest border to prosecute all violations "to the extent practicable."

The Detroit Free Press reported the average age of these children is 8. Michigan foster-care agencies are having difficulty handling the increasing number of children who arrive in Michigan at nighttime, the newspaper reported.

Arbulu said in his statement the department has received reports that some displaced children arriving in Michigan are infants as young as 3 months old and "completely unable to advocate for themselves."

"We have received reports and are very concerned that the children arriving here are much younger than those who have been transported here in the past," Arbulu said in the statement. "While we commend the work of resettlement agencies in Michigan attempting to serve these children with dignity and compassion, nothing can replace the love, sense of security and care of a parent."

Sessions, and other Trump administrators, have said this family separation is a deterrent for other families considering illegal immigration.

Grand Rapids-based Bethany Christian Services, a global nonprofit that provides foster care, adoption, resettlement services and other assistance, is currently assisting these displaced children, but the organization is at capacity.

"Right now, we have 99 foster care beds at Bethany across the country, and we're at capacity," Dona Abbott, branch director of refugee services at Bethany Christian Services, said. "We're now recruiting new homes and we're approaching our government with the offer to provide more beds."

Some of these foster homes are across Michigan, Abbott said.

These children experience compounding trauma, she said. They experienced trauma in their home countries, during the journey to the U.S. and when separated from their parents at the border.

U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, said in a statement Monday that automatically separating families runs counter to his and the nation's core values.

"We must find a legislative solution that balances our compassion with the fact that some individuals are exploiting loopholes in our immigration system and actively trafficking children across the border," Huizenga said in the statement.

I have spoken w Bethany Chr Services to get clarification on the status of separated children coming to Mich. We continue to communicate with them to stay up to date as the situation develops. This must change! https://t.co/8zmrzUvh42 — Rep. Bill Huizenga (@RepHuizenga) June 20, 2018

U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, R-Cascade Township, criticized the separation of families in a tweet Wednesday.

This must stop NOW. Only one person has the power to do so while Congress works through legislation: @POTUS @realDonaldTrump. https://t.co/1FWCuJMB1f — Justin Amash (@justinamash) June 20, 2018

The American Association for Justice said in a statement Tuesday that the organization condemns the separation of children from their parents at the border.

"These actions are risking the safety and well-being of innocent children. We call on the Administration to immediately halt this practice and to reunite these traumatized families," according to the statement. "This is not who we are as a nation. We can and must do better."

In its offices throughout the country, Bethany Christian Services is urging families to step forward and become foster parents for these children, Abbott said.

"We work with the world's most vulnerable kids, and we want to make sure that those kids have a really good family and are not traumatized," Bethany Christian Services President Chris Palusky said.

To learn more about becoming a foster parent or volunteer services, visit the Bethany Christian Services website.