Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Nevada, FY2016–2025
The U.S. Sentencing Commission lists 622 people sentenced for immigration offenses in the District of Nevada in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, which is 17% of the district's 3,640 cases. The median prison term was 9 months, compared with 7 months in all 94 districts. A total of 330 sentences (53%) were
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Nevada, FY2016–2025 › Immigration Offense: District of Nevada
In brief: The U.S. Sentencing Commission lists 622 people sentenced for immigration offenses in the District of Nevada in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, which is 17% of the district's 3,640 cases. The median prison term was 9 months, compared with 7 months in all 94 districts. A total of 330 sentences (53%) were below the guideline range at the government's request.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 622 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 Terms, Mostly Below the Guideline Range
The median prison term for immigration cases in the district was 9 months. A quarter of the people sent to prison received 18 months or more, and a quarter received 4 months or less. In all 94 districts, the median was 7 months.
Most sentences were below the guideline range. Of the 619 people with the information, 330 (53%) were below the range at the government's request, and 60 (10%) were below it without a request. Another 224 (36%) were within the range, and 5 (less than 1%) were above it.
For immigration cases in all districts, 62% of sentences were within the range.
Prison and Probation
A total of 599 of 622 people (96%) received a prison term, and 20 (3%) received probation only. In all districts, 95% were sent to prison.
The median for all offenses in the district was 33 months. Immigration cases carried much shorter prison terms than the district's cases as a whole.
The Offense Type and Its Guidelines
"Immigration" is a category used by the Commission, based on each case's primary guideline. The primary guideline for 564 people was §2L1.2 (Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States).
Another 14 people were sentenced under §2L2.2 (Fraudulently Acquiring Documents Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status for Own Use), and 5 under §2L2.1 (Trafficking in a Document Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status, or a United States Passport).
Almost Every Case Ended in a Guilty Plea
A total of 619 of 622 people (more than 99%) pleaded guilty, and 3 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 9 months after a guilty plea and 33 months after a trial. The trial figure comes from 3 people and is not a basis for comparison.
Among the guilty pleas, 78% had a written plea agreement and 22% were straight pleas. A mandatory minimum applied to 1 of 613 people with that information recorded.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
Supervised release was ordered for 578 people (93%), with a median term of 36 months. One person received supervised release for life. A fine was ordered for 5 people, and no restitution was ordered.
On criminal history, 11% were in the lowest category, category I, and 4% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Fiscal Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 331 people sentenced, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 291. Yearly counts range from 31 to 102.
The yearly medians range from 4.7 months to 15 months. The table lists each year, and the records do not show why the counts changed.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 68 | 15 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 102 | 9 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 87 | 4.7 months | 98% |
| 2019 | 74 | 9.5 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 69 | 12 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 54 | 10 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 31 | 9 months | 97% |
| 2023 | 45 | 7 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 42 | 8.5 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 50 | 9 months | 100% |
What Is Outside These Numbers
The data covers only people who were convicted and sentenced. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served, and the records do not show the facts of any case.
Creech AFB and Nellis AFB are in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Nevada (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Nevada") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Immigration" (622). 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 Nevada, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Nevada, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Nevada, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Nevada, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of Nevada, 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.