> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-northern-district-of-illinois/ - Published: 2026-11-04T11:05:18.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T11:05:18.000Z - Description: In the Northern District of Illinois, 374 people were sentenced for immigration offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of them, 367 (98%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 18 months, which is higher than the all-district median of 7 months. Immigration cases were 6% of the district' - 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 Northern District of Illinois, FY20](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-illinois/) › Immigration Offense: Northern District of Illinois **In brief:** In the Northern District of Illinois, 374 people were sentenced for immigration offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. Of them, 367 (98%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 18 months, which is higher than the all-district median of 7 months. Immigration cases were 6% of the district's 6,211 people sentenced. 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 374 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/). ## How the District Compares With All Districts The median prison term in this district was 18 months. A quarter received 30 months or more, and a quarter received 10 months or less. Across all 94 districts, 217,838 people were sentenced for immigration offenses, and the median prison term was 7 months. Across all offenses in this district, the median was 42 months. In all districts, 95% of people were sent to prison for this offense type. In this district, 7 people (2%) received probation only. ## Nearly Everyone Pleaded Guilty Of the 374 people, 369 (99%) pleaded guilty, and 5 were convicted after a trial. In all districts, more than 99% pleaded guilty. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 93%. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 18 months. After a trial it was 15 months, based on 5 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. That number of cases is too small to support a comparison. Among the guilty pleas, 95% had a written plea agreement, and 5% were straight pleas. ## Reading the Guideline Range Numbers Sentences within the guideline range were 193 of 373 (52%). This is a higher share than the 29% for all offenses in the district. In all districts, 62% of immigration sentences were within the range. Below the range without a request from the government were 159 (43%), and below it at the government's request were 14 (4%). Above the range were 7 (2%). ## Which Guidelines Were Used "Immigration" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type. The most common primary guideline was §2L1.2 (Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States), used for 312 people. Smaller groups were sentenced under §2L2.1 (Trafficking in a Document Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status, or a United States Passport), for 9 people, and §2L1.1 (Smuggling, Transporting, or Harboring an Unlawful Alien), for 8. Another 7 people were sentenced under §2L2.2 (Fraudulently Acquiring Documents Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status for Own Use). ## Counts and Medians by Fiscal Year Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 have 198 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 have 176 people. The largest year is fiscal year 2019, with 74 people, and the smallest is fiscal year 2022, with 18. Yearly medians range from 12 months in fiscal year 2019 to 27 months in fiscal year 2016\. The plea rate was 100% in fiscal year 2019 and in each of fiscal years 2021 to 2025\. The records do not explain the year-to-year changes. The fiscal year runs from October 1 through the end of September. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 47 | 27 months | 98% | | 2017 | 41 | 18 months | 95% | | 2018 | 36 | 16 months | 97% | | 2019 | 74 | 12 months | 100% | | 2020 | 60 | 13.5 months | 98% | | 2021 | 35 | 17.5 months | 100% | | 2022 | 18 | 24 months | 100% | | 2023 | 19 | 19 months | 100% | | 2024 | 23 | 20 months | 100% | | 2025 | 21 | 21 months | 100% | ## Other Sentence Details A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 2 of the 370 people with that information (less than 1%). Supervised release was ordered for 189 people (51%), with a median term of 24 months. A fine was ordered for 12 (3%), and restitution for 5 (1%). In criminal history, 12% were in the lowest category (Category I), and 7% were in the highest (Category VI). ## Great Lakes and the Limits of the Data Great Lakes, Illinois, is a military installation in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court. Only convicted and sentenced people appear in this data, so acquittals and dismissals are not shown. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served. ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Illinois North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Immigration" (374). 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 Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-illinois/) (overview) - [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-northern-district-of-illinois/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-northern-district-of-illinois/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-northern-district-of-illinois/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Robbery Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-robbery-sentences-northern-district-of-illinois/) (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.