Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025
401 people were sentenced in the District of New Jersey for immigration offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, which is 6% of the district's 6,441 sentenced people. 91% received a prison term, with a median of 11 months, compared with 7 months across all 94 districts. 397 of the 401 pleaded guilty.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 › Immigration Offense: District of New Jersey
In brief: 401 people were sentenced in the District of New Jersey for immigration offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, which is 6% of the district's 6,441 sentenced people. 91% received a prison term, with a median of 11 months, compared with 7 months across all 94 districts. 397 of the 401 pleaded guilty.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 401 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.
Nearly All Cases Ended in a Guilty Plea
397 of the 401 people (more than 99%) pleaded guilty, and 4 were convicted after a trial. For all 94 districts, guilty pleas in this offense type were also more than 99%.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 10.9 months. After a trial it was 20 months, based on 4 people. That is too few people to compare in a meaningful way.
Among the guilty pleas, 61% had a written plea agreement and 39% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Which Guidelines Applied
"Immigration" is the Commission's offense type, assigned from the primary guideline. The most common was §2L1.2 (Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States), with 304 people.
Next were §2L2.1 (Trafficking in a Document Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status, or a United States Passport) with 33, §2L1.1 (Smuggling, Transporting, or Harboring an Unlawful Alien) with 24, and §2L2.2 (Fraudulently Acquiring Documents Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status for Own Use) with 16.
Prison Terms Compared With the District and the Nation
363 people (91%) received a prison term, and 29 (7%) received probation only. The median prison term among those sent to prison was 11 months. A quarter received 21 months or more, and a quarter received 4.5 months or less.
Across all 94 districts, 95% of people in this offense type were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 7 months. The median in this district was higher, while the share sent to prison was lower.
For all offenses in this district, the median prison term was 37 months, well above the median for immigration.
Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums
For 400 people, the position against the guideline range is recorded. 62% (249) were within the range, 12% (49) were below it at the government's request, and 25% (99) were below it without a request. Less than 1% (3) were above it.
The share within the range was 62% across all 94 districts as well, and 37% for all offenses in this district.
A mandatory minimum applied to 4 of the 395 people with that information recorded (1%).
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
224 people (56%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 24 months. A fine was ordered for 13 people (3%), and restitution for 8 (2%).
33% were in criminal history category I, the lowest, and 1% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts and Medians by Fiscal Year
177 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 224 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The fiscal year runs from October 1 through the end of September.
The yearly counts in the table range from 20 to 73 people. The medians vary between 6 months and 21 months, and the records do not show why.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 36 | 15 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 38 | 15 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 38 | 12 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 65 | 8 months | 95% |
| 2020 | 73 | 6 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 30 | 15 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 20 | 15 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 21 | 13.5 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 31 | 21 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 49 | 12 months | 98% |
What the Records Cannot Show
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not included, and prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court, and this post reports federal numbers on their own.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of New Jersey (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New Jersey") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Immigration" (401). 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 New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of New Jersey, 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.