Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025
219 people were sentenced for immigration offenses in the Eastern District of Arkansas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 207 (95%) received a prison term, and the median was 1.4 months. For all 94 federal districts, the median was 7 months.
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In brief: 219 people were sentenced for immigration offenses in the Eastern District of Arkansas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 207 (95%) received a prison term, and the median was 1.4 months. For all 94 federal districts, the median was 7 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 219 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.
Median Prison Terms Were Short
The median prison term for the 207 people sent to prison was 1.4 months. A quarter received 10 months or more, and a quarter received 0 months or less. The all-district median was 7 months, and the median for all offenses in this district was 50 months. The terms are those imposed, not time served.
95% of the group were sent to prison, and 12 people (5%) received probation only. For all districts, 95% of the 217,838 people sentenced for immigration offenses were sent to prison.
Offenses Counted Under This Type
"Immigration" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, based on the primary guideline in each case. The most common was §2L1.2 (Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States), for 181 people. Others were §2L1.1 (Smuggling, Transporting, or Harboring an Unlawful Alien) for 7, §2L2.2 (Fraudulently Acquiring Documents Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status for Own Use) for 5, and §2L2.1 for 1.
These cases were 4% of the 4,942 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
A Pattern Concentrated in a Few Years
127 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 92 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. In the table, 2018 had 57 people, 2019 had 54, and 2020 had 45. Every other listed year had 7 to 21 people, and fiscal year 2022 has no row.
The yearly median was 0 months in 2018 and 2020, 1.4 months in 2019, and 24 months in 2023. The records show these numbers but cannot show the reason for any change. Fiscal years run from October 1 through the end of September.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 7 | 18 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2017 | 9 | 6.6 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2018 | 57 | 0 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 54 | 1.4 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 45 | 0 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 10 | 6.8 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 8 | 24 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2024 | 8 | 9.4 months | 7 of 8 |
| 2025 | 21 | 7.1 months | 100% |
Pleas and Plea Agreements
218 of the 219 people (more than 99%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. The trial case received 12 months, and the median after a guilty plea was 1.4 months. A single trial case cannot be compared.
Among guilty pleas, 6% had a written plea agreement and 85% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Guideline Range and Supervised Release
162 people (74%) were sentenced within the guideline range. 47 (21%) were below the range without a government request, and 9 (4%) were below it at the government's request. 1 person (less than 1%) was above the range. For all districts, 62% were within the range, and for all offenses in this district, 55%.
111 people (51%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 24 months. No fine or restitution was ordered. A mandatory minimum applied to 1 of 217 people (less than 1%).
Criminal History and Limits
42% of the group were in the lowest criminal history category, and less than 1% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, is in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court. The data has no acquittals, dismissals, or case facts.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Arkansas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Arkansas East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Immigration" (219). 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 Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Prison Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, 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.