Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of California, FY2016–2025
271 people were sentenced for immigration offenses in the Eastern District of California in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 21 months, compared with 7 months across all 94 federal districts, and 50% of sentences were below the guideline range at the government's request.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of California, FY2 › Immigration Offense: Eastern District of California
In brief: 271 people were sentenced for immigration offenses in the Eastern District of California in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 21 months, compared with 7 months across all 94 federal districts, and 50% of sentences were below the guideline range at the government's request.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 271 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.
50% of Sentences Were Below the Range at the Government's Request
The guideline range is the range calculated under the Commission's guidelines. 50% of the sentences here (136 people) were below that range at the government's request. 36% (96 people) were within the range, 12% (33 people) were below it without a government request, and 2% (5 people) were above it.
The rate for all districts was 62% of immigration sentences within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 40%. The records do not show the reason for any single sentence.
A Higher Median Than the National Figure
266 of the 271 people (98%) received a prison term, and 3 (1%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 21 months. A quarter received 33 months or more, and a quarter received 10 months or less.
For all 94 districts together, immigration had 217,838 people, 95% sent to prison, and a median of 7 months. The median in this district was higher. It was lower than the 48 months for all offenses in the Eastern District of California.
The Offense Type and Its Guidelines
Immigration is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type. Most cases, 239 people, used §2L1.2 (Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States) as the primary guideline.
§2L2.1 had 18 people, §2L2.2 had 10, and §2L1.1 (Smuggling, Transporting, or Harboring an Unlawful Alien) had 2. These cases were 6% of the 4,546 people sentenced in the district.
Pleas, Trials, and Mandatory Minimums
268 of 271 people (99%) pleaded guilty, and 3 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 21 months after a guilty plea and 36 months after a trial, based on 3 people.
85% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 15% were straight pleas with no agreement. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 3 of the 271 people with that information recorded (1%).
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
64 people (24%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 4 people (1%), and restitution for 2 (less than 1%).
11% of the people were in the lowest criminal history category I, and 11% were in the highest (VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Fewer Cases in Later Years
168 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 103 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. In the table, the yearly count was 46 in 2019 and 6 in 2023.
Yearly medians run from 12 months in 2025 to 30 months in 2016. The table reports each year's counts, and the records cannot show why the counts changed.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 43 | 30 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 40 | 16.5 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 39 | 15 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 46 | 22.5 months | 98% |
| 2020 | 34 | 24 months | 94% |
| 2021 | 13 | 18 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 21 | 27 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 6 | 18 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2024 | 12 | 18 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 17 | 12 months | 100% |
Limits of the Records
A person who was acquitted or whose case was dismissed does not appear here. The records begin at sentencing.
The figures report terms imposed. The records do not say how long anyone stayed in prison.
The district contains Beale AFB, Edwards AFB, and Travis AFB. Their courts-martial are handled in the military system, and this page does not connect any installation to the federal cases above.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of California (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "California East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Immigration" (271). 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 California, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of California, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of California, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of California, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Eastern District of California, 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.