Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025
Immigration offenses were 26% of the 7,061 people sentenced in the District of Utah in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 1,856 people. All 1,856 pleaded guilty. Of them, 1,367 (74%) received a prison term, with a median of 6 months, compared with a median of 7 months in all 94 districts.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025 › Immigration Offense: District of Utah
In brief: Immigration offenses were 26% of the 7,061 people sentenced in the District of Utah in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 1,856 people. All 1,856 pleaded guilty. Of them, 1,367 (74%) received a prison term, with a median of 6 months, compared with a median of 7 months in all 94 districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 1,856 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 and a Large Share of Probation
Of the 1,856 people, 1,367 (74%) received a prison term. The other 489 (26%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. In all 94 districts, 95% were sent to prison, so the district's share is lower.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 6 months. A quarter received 12 months or more, and a quarter received 2.3 months or less. The terms are those imposed, not time served.
For all offenses in the district, the median prison term was 30 months.
Almost Every Case Used One Guideline
"Immigration" is the Commission's category, assigned from the primary guideline. In the district, §2L1.2 (Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States) was used for 1,836 people.
A total of 7 people were sentenced under §2L2.2 (Fraudulently Acquiring Documents Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status for Own Use). A total of 2 were sentenced under §2L1.1 (Smuggling, Transporting, or Harboring an Unlawful Alien).
The numbers therefore describe mainly unlawful entry and reentry cases.
Position Against the Guideline Range
Sentences below the guideline range at the government's request were given to 72% of the people (1,337). Sentences within the range were 26% (482), and sentences below the range without a request were 2% (35).
One sentence (less than 1%) was above the range. In all districts, 62% of immigration sentences were within the range. For all offenses in the district, the share was 24%.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 of the 1,854 people with that information recorded.
No Trials in This Group
All 1,856 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. In all districts, guilty pleas were more than 99%.
Among the guilty pleas, 98% had a written plea agreement, and 2% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Counts and Medians by Fiscal Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 have 960 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 have 896 people. The largest year is fiscal year 2017, with 303 people. The smallest is fiscal year 2024, with 86 people.
The median prison term was 2.6 months in fiscal year 2020 and 9 months in fiscal year 2021. In most other years it was between 6 and 7 months.
The records cannot show why the yearly counts changed. Fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 271 | 6.8 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 303 | 6 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 226 | 6 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 160 | 6 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 234 | 2.6 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 120 | 9 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 95 | 6 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 140 | 6.5 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 86 | 7 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 221 | 4.3 months | 100% |
Supervised Release and Other Penalties
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 961 people (52%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 1 person (less than 1%), and restitution for 1 (less than 1%).
In criminal history, 19% were in the lowest category (Category I), and 2% were in the highest (Category VI).
What the Records Cannot Show
Hill AFB, Utah, is in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court, and these numbers cover federal court only.
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, so charges that were dismissed are not in the data. The records give no case facts.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Utah (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Utah") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Immigration" (1,856). 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 Utah, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the District of Utah, 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.