Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 274 people were sentenced in the Eastern District of Louisiana in the U.S. Sentencing Commission's "Immigration" offense type. The median prison term was 5 months, compared with 7 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts. Of the 274, 272 pleaded guilty.
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In brief: In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 274 people were sentenced in the Eastern District of Louisiana in the U.S. Sentencing Commission's "Immigration" offense type. The median prison term was 5 months, compared with 7 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts. Of the 274, 272 pleaded guilty.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 274 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.
Prison Terms Were Short
Prison was ordered for 263 of 274 people (96%), and 7 people (3%) received probation only. The median prison term was 5 months. A quarter received 11.6 months or more, and a quarter received 0 months or less.
The median for all offenses in this district was 60 months. In all 94 districts, 217,838 people were sentenced in this offense type, and 95% were sent to prison. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served.
Which Guidelines Applied
Immigration is the Commission's category, and it is based on the main sentencing guideline. In this district, 186 cases fell under §2L1.2 (Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States).
There were 15 cases under §2L2.2 (Fraudulently Acquiring Documents Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status for Own Use) and 10 under §2L2.1 (Trafficking in a Document Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status, or a United States Passport). Another 4 cases fell under §2L1.1 (Smuggling, Transporting, or Harboring an Unlawful Alien).
Almost Every Case Ended in a Plea
A total of 272 of 274 people (more than 99%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 5 months. After a trial it was 36 months, based on 2 people.
Plea agreements were uncommon: 22% of guilty pleas had a written agreement, and 78% were straight pleas with no agreement. In all 94 districts, more than 99% of people in this offense type pleaded guilty.
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
Sentences were within the guideline range for 81% of the 269 people with that information (218 people). Another 8% (21 people) were below the range without a government request, and 7% (20 people) were below it at the government's request. Sentences were above the range for 4% (10 people).
In all 94 districts, 62% of sentences in this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in this district the figure was 56%. A mandatory minimum applied to 3 of the 222 people with that information recorded (1%).
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 200 people (73%), with a median term of 12 months. A fine was ordered for 25 people (9%), and restitution for 2 (less than 1%).
In criminal history, 54% were in the lowest category and 1% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
More Cases Early in the Period
Immigration cases were 9% of the 2,953 people sentenced in this district. Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 170 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 104 people.
The yearly count ranged from 6 people in fiscal year 2022 to 49 in fiscal year 2017, and 45 in fiscal year 2025. The records cannot show why the counts changed. The table lists the yearly median prison terms.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 42 | 4.2 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 49 | 6 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 39 | 6 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 40 | 0 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 22 | 3.9 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 8 | 10.8 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2022 | 6 | 3.5 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2023 | 10 | 11.2 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 13 | 9.4 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 45 | 3.4 months | 96% |
What the Records Leave Out
The Commission's data includes only people who were convicted and sentenced, so acquittals and dismissals do not appear. The records do not show the facts of any case.
This post reports federal numbers on their own.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Louisiana (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Louisiana East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Immigration" (274). 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 Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Eastern District of Louisiana, 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.