Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Maine, FY2016–2025
The median prison term for the 89 people sentenced for immigration offenses in the District of Maine in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 was 3.2 months, compared with 7 months across all 94 districts. Of the 89, 82 (92%) received a prison term, and 74 of the 89 sentences (83%) were within the guideline ran
· Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Maine, FY2016–2025 › Immigration Offense: District of Maine
In brief: The median prison term for the 89 people sentenced for immigration offenses in the District of Maine in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 was 3.2 months, compared with 7 months across all 94 districts. Of the 89, 82 (92%) received a prison term, and 74 of the 89 sentences (83%) were within the guideline range.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 89 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 series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
Short Prison Terms, Mostly Within the Range
Among the 82 people sent to prison, the median prison term was 3.2 months. A quarter received 4.9 months or more, and a quarter received 1.5 months or less. The other 7 people (8%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.
The U.S. Sentencing Commission's national group for immigration has 217,838 people. In that group, 95% were sent to prison and the median was 7 months. For all offenses in Maine, the median was 36 months. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
Position Against the Guideline Range
Within the guideline range were 83% of the 89 sentences (74). Below the range at the government's request were 11% (10), and below the range without a government request, 6% (5). None was above the range.
Sentences within the range were much more common here than for all offenses in Maine, where the figure was 30%. The national figure for immigration cases was 62%. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 of the 82 people with that information recorded (1%).
Which Guidelines Apply
Immigration is the Commission's offense type, and it covers several kinds of cases. In Maine, 59 were sentenced primarily under §2L1.2 (Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States). Another 11 were sentenced under §2L2.2 (Fraudulently Acquiring Documents Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status for Own Use), 6 under §2L2.1 (Trafficking in a Document Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status, or a United States Passport), and 4 under §2L1.1 (Smuggling, Transporting, or Harboring an Unlawful Alien).
These 89 people were 5% of the 1,628 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Pleas and Trials
Guilty pleas were entered by 85 of 89 people (96%), and 4 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 3.2 months after a guilty plea and 5 months after a trial, which is based on 4 people.
Among guilty pleas, 38% had a written plea agreement and 62% were straight pleas with no agreement. The Commission's data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, so acquittals and dismissals are not in it.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 10 people (11%), with a median term of 12 months. A fine was ordered for 4 (4%), and restitution for 2 (2%).
Among the 89 people, 78% were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 0% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Fiscal Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 42 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 47 people. A fiscal year begins on October 1 and ends the following September.
The table lists the years with cases. Fiscal years 2018 and 2025 each had 17 people, and the other listed years had 3 to 14. Medians range from 2 months to 13.5 months. These groups are small, and the records cannot show a trend or its cause.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 | 8.1 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2017 | 8 | 3.7 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2018 | 17 | 2.7 months | 94% |
| 2019 | 14 | 2.9 months | 86% |
| 2020 | 13 | 2 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 4 | 4.6 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2022 | 8 | 7 months | 7 of 8 |
| 2024 | 5 | 13.5 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2025 | 17 | 3.6 months | 100% |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Maine (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Maine") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Immigration" (89). 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 (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Federal Sentences in the District of Maine, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Maine, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Maine, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Maine, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the District of Maine, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (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. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.