ines. nder ornia ult of form rcent A Immigration detainees wait for their cases to be disposed of at the Central Arizona Detention Center in Florence. Why has heightened enforcement of immigration law increased the inmate population at federal correctional facilities while having little or no impact on the inmate populations in state prisons? John Moore/Getty Images News/ Getty Images

## Step 1<br />The problem is asking us to analyze the impact of increased enforcement of immigration laws on the inmate populations in federal correctional facilities versus state prisons. <br /><br />## Step 2<br />The first step in solving this problem is to understand the difference between federal and state prisons. Federal prisons are managed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), which is a part of the U.S. Department of Justice. These prisons house inmates who have been convicted of federal crimes, which are crimes that violate federal laws. <br /><br />## Step 3<br />On the other hand, state prisons are managed by individual state governments and house inmates who have been convicted of state crimes, which are crimes that violate state laws. <br /><br />## Step 4<br />The next step is to consider the nature of immigration laws. Immigration laws are federal laws, which means they are enforced by federal agencies such as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). <br /><br />## Step 5<br />The final step is to consider the nature of state laws. State laws are enforced by state agencies and are not typically related to immigration. <br /><br />## Step 6<br />Given these differences, it makes sense that increased enforcement of immigration laws would lead to an increase in the inmate population at federal correctional facilities, as these laws are enforced by federal agencies. However, this increased enforcement would not have a significant impact on the inmate populations in state prisons, as these laws are not enforced by state agencies.