Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025
In the Eastern District of Missouri, 82% of the 177 people sentenced for immigration offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a sentence within the guideline range, compared with 62% for all 94 federal districts. 176 (more than 99%) received a prison term, and the median was 5.1 months.
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In brief: In the Eastern District of Missouri, 82% of the 177 people sentenced for immigration offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a sentence within the guideline range, compared with 62% for all 94 federal districts. 176 (more than 99%) received a prison term, and the median was 5.1 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 177 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.
Sentences Within the Guideline Range 82% of the Time
The guideline range was recorded for all 177 people. Within it were 145 sentences (82%). Below it at the government's request were 9 (5%), and below it without a request were 22 (12%). Above it was 1 sentence (less than 1%).
For all districts, 62% of immigration sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 42% were. Immigration cases in this district were within the range more often than both of those groups.
Short Prison Terms
Of the 177 people, 176 (more than 99%) were sent to prison, and 1 (less than 1%) received probation only. For all districts, 95% were sent to prison.
The median prison term was 5.1 months. A quarter received 7.5 months or more, and a quarter received 3.7 months or less. The median for all districts was 7 months, and the median for all offenses in the Eastern District of Missouri was 46 months.
No Trials
All 177 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none were convicted after a trial. For all districts, the rate was more than 99%. Among guilty pleas, 96% had a written plea agreement and 4% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Because no one in this group went to trial, the data cannot compare plea sentences with trial sentences. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 177 people (0%).
What Cases Are Counted as Immigration?
"Immigration" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, assigned from the primary guideline in each case. The most common was §2L1.2 (Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States), for 159 people.
Other guidelines covered smuggling and document offenses: §2L2.2 and §2L1.1 for 5 people each, and §2L2.1 for 4. Immigration cases were 2% of the 9,425 people sentenced in the district.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 55 people (31%), with a median term of 12 months. A fine was ordered for 3 (2%), and restitution for 0 (0%).
In criminal history, 62% were in the lowest category and 1% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Year and Limits
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 89 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 88. Yearly counts range from 3 to 61, and yearly medians run from 3.6 months to 8.1 months. Years with very small counts should not be read as trends.
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it, and prison terms are those imposed, not time served. The records cannot show why yearly counts change.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 | 5.5 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2017 | 10 | 7.4 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 14 | 6.1 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 61 | 5.3 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 36 | 3.6 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 9 | 8.1 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2022 | 10 | 6 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 3 | 7.4 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2024 | 5 | 4.7 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2025 | 25 | 5.1 months | 100% |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Missouri (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Missouri East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Immigration" (177). 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.
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 Missouri, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, 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.