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# Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-eastern-district-of-new-york/
- Published: 2026-11-04T10:31:22.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T10:31:22.000Z
- Description: 465 people were sentenced for immigration offenses in the Eastern District of New York in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 447 (96%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 12 months, compared with 7 months across all 94 federal districts. 61% of sentences were within the guideline range.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY201](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-new-york/) › Immigration Offense: Eastern District of New York

**In brief:** 465 people were sentenced for immigration offenses in the Eastern District of New York in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. 447 (96%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 12 months, compared with 7 months across all 94 federal districts. 61% of sentences were within the guideline range.

Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025

This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 465 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/).

## A Higher Median Than the National Figure

The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 465 people in this district under the offense type "Immigration," which was 7% of the 6,411 people sentenced in the district. 447 (96%) received a prison term, and 10 (2%) received probation only.

The median prison term was 12 months. A quarter received 20.8 months or more, and a quarter received 5.6 months or less. For all 94 districts, the median was 7 months, and 95% of people went to prison. For all offenses in this district, the median was 27 months. The terms are those imposed, not time served.

## Common Guidelines

The offense type is the Commission's category. The most common primary guideline was §2L1.2 (Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States), with 366 people. Next was §2L2.2 (Fraudulently Acquiring Documents Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status for Own Use), with 50 people. Then §2L2.1 (Trafficking in a Document Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status, or a United States Passport), with 18 people, and §2L1.1 (Smuggling, Transporting, or Harboring an Unlawful Alien), with 11 people.

## Nearly Every Case Ended in a Guilty Plea

461 of the 465 people (more than 99%) pleaded guilty, and 4 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 12 months after a guilty plea and 31.5 months after a trial, based on 4 people.

Among the guilty pleas, 68% had a written plea agreement, and 32% were straight pleas with no agreement. Nationally, more than 99% of immigration cases ended in a guilty plea.

## Within and Below the Guideline Range

The guideline range is the range calculated under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. 61% of sentences (284 people) were within it. 7% (34 people) were below the range at the government's request, and 28% (129 people) were below the range without a government request. 4% (17 people) were above the range.

Across all districts, 62% of immigration sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 24%. Immigration sentences here were within the range about as often as the national share for this type, and more often than the district's overall share.

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 6 of the 458 people with that information recorded (1%).

## Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History

379 people (82%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 24 months. A fine was ordered for 8 people (2%), and restitution for 5 (1%).

In criminal history, 29% were in the lowest category, Category I, and 2% were in the highest, Category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Fewer Cases in Recent Years

Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 261 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 204\. The table shows counts falling from 81 people in fiscal year 2016 to 15 in fiscal year 2025\. The yearly median ranged from 4 months in fiscal year 2025 to 14 months in fiscal years 2017 and 2019.

The records cannot show why the counts changed. They also exclude acquittals and dismissals, because the Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 81               | 10.3 months   | 99%            |
| 2017        | 53               | 14 months     | 98%            |
| 2018        | 64               | 12 months     | 98%            |
| 2019        | 63               | 14 months     | 100%           |
| 2020        | 47               | 10 months     | 100%           |
| 2021        | 43               | 12 months     | 100%           |
| 2022        | 36               | 12 months     | 97%            |
| 2023        | 27               | 9.5 months    | 100%           |
| 2024        | 36               | 12 months     | 100%           |
| 2025        | 15               | 4 months      | 100%           |

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of New York (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New York East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Immigration" (465). 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article)
- [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts)
- [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method)
- [Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-new-york/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-eastern-district-of-new-york/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-eastern-district-of-new-york/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-eastern-district-of-new-york/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Robbery Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-robbery-sentences-eastern-district-of-new-york/) (same district, other offense type)
- [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)
- [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.