> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Delaware, FY2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-district-of-delaware/ - Published: 2026-11-04T11:13:15.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T11:13:15.000Z - Description: Immigration offenses were 26% of the 925 people sentenced in the District of Delaware in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 245 people. All 245 pleaded guilty, and the median prison term was 3.2 months, compared with 7 months across all 94 federal districts. 172 of the 245 (70%) were sentenced within the gu - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the District of Delaware, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-delaware/) › Immigration Offense: District of Delaware **In brief:** Immigration offenses were 26% of the 925 people sentenced in the District of Delaware in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 245 people. All 245 pleaded guilty, and the median prison term was 3.2 months, compared with 7 months across all 94 federal districts. 172 of the 245 (70%) were sentenced within the guideline range. Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025 This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 245 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. It is part of the [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/). ## Immigration Cases Among the District's Sentences The U.S. Sentencing Commission assigns every sentenced person an offense type, and "Immigration" is one of them. In the District of Delaware it covered 245 of 925 people. The district sentenced 70 of them in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 175 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The Commission's data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, so it does not include dismissals or acquittals. ## A Median of 3.2 Months 243 of the 245 people (more than 99%) received a prison term, and 1 received probation only. The median prison term was 3.2 months. A quarter received 8 months or more, and a quarter received 0 months or less. Across all districts, 95% of 217,838 people in this offense type were sent to prison, and the median was 7 months. For all offenses in the District of Delaware, the median was 27 months. These are the terms imposed, not time served. ## Sentences Within the Guideline Range Of the 245 people, 172 (70%) were sentenced within the guideline range. 59 (24%) were below it at the government's request, and 14 (6%) were below it without a government request. None was above it. The within-range share was 62% for this offense type across all districts and 44% for all offenses in this district. A mandatory minimum applied to 1 of the 245 people, which is less than 1%. ## Guilty Pleas and Written Agreements All 245 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and 0 were convicted after a trial. For all offenses in the district, the guilty plea rate was 96%. Among the guilty pleas, 98% had a written plea agreement and 2% did not. ## Fiscal Year 2025 and Other Years The yearly count was 66 in fiscal year 2025, the largest in the table, and 4 in fiscal year 2021, the smallest. The median prison term was 0 months in fiscal year 2025 and 16.5 months in fiscal year 2021. Other years had medians between 2.8 and 7.7 months. The records do not explain the changes between years. A fiscal year runs from October 1 to the end of September. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 7 | 4.6 months | 7 of 7 | | 2017 | 10 | 5.4 months | 100% | | 2018 | 15 | 3.6 months | 100% | | 2019 | 38 | 3.1 months | 100% | | 2020 | 32 | 2.8 months | 100% | | 2021 | 4 | 16.5 months | 4 of 4 | | 2022 | 16 | 4.8 months | 100% | | 2023 | 28 | 4.4 months | 100% | | 2024 | 29 | 7.7 months | 100% | | 2025 | 66 | 0 months | 100% | ## Other Orders, Criminal History, and Guidelines Supervised release after prison was ordered for 26 people (11%), with a median term of 24 months. A fine was ordered for 2 people and restitution for 2, each less than 1%. In criminal history, 44% were in the lowest category I and 0% were in the highest category, VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field. The primary guideline was §2L1.2 (Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States) for 202 people. §2L2.2 (Fraudulently Acquiring Documents Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status for Own Use) applied to 6, and §2L1.1 (Smuggling, Transporting, or Harboring an Unlawful Alien) to 1. ## Dover AFB and What the Records Cannot Show Dover AFB, Delaware, appears in this site's court-martial data and is in the district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court. The federal data does not show the facts of any case or time served. ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Delaware (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Delaware") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Immigration" (245). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories. Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30\. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records. ### What to Keep in Mind **No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct.** Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987\. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served. **Federal supervised release.** Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial. **Who decides the sentence, and under what rules.** Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart. **Time periods.** Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually. **How life sentences and "time served" are counted.** In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less. **Mandatory minimum sentences.** Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge. ## Related Analysis - [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article) - [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts) - [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method) - [Federal Sentences in the District of Delaware, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-delaware/) (overview) - [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Delaware, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-district-of-delaware/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Delaware, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-district-of-delaware/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Delaware, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-district-of-delaware/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the District of Delaware, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-sexual-abuse-sentences-district-of-delaware/) (same district, other offense type) - [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source) - [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source) **About the author.** Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts *Where All The Bodies Are Buried* and runs the [Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.