Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025
Immigration offenses were 3% of the 3,085 people sentenced in the Northern District of Indiana in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 82 people. Of those, 81 (99%) received a prison term, and the median was 10 months. Across all 94 federal districts, the median for immigration offenses was 7 months.
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In brief: Immigration offenses were 3% of the 3,085 people sentenced in the Northern District of Indiana in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 82 people. Of those, 81 (99%) received a prison term, and the median was 10 months. Across all 94 federal districts, the median for immigration offenses was 7 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 82 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.
A Short Median Term in a District Where Most Terms Are Long
The Commission's "Immigration" offense type had 82 people in the Northern District of Indiana. Of those, 81 (99%) were sentenced to prison, and 1 (1%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 10 months. A quarter received 24 months or more, and a quarter received 5.2 months or less. For all offenses in the district, the median was 51 months, so immigration terms were much shorter than the district's overall median. Across all 94 districts, 95% of immigration cases ended in a prison term.
Which Guidelines Were Used
Most cases, 68, were sentenced under §2L1.2 (Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States). Another 8 were sentenced under §2L2.2 (Fraudulently Acquiring Documents Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status for Own Use). 2 people were sentenced under §2L2.1 (Trafficking in a Document Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status, or a United States Passport).
No mandatory minimum prison term applied to any of the 81 people with that information recorded.
All Pleaded Guilty
All 82 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. In all 94 districts, more than 99% pleaded guilty. Among the guilty pleas in this district, 87% had a written plea agreement and 13% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Within the Guideline Range for Most
Of the 79 people with guideline information, 70% (55) were sentenced within the range. Another 8% (6) were below the range at the government's request, 20% (16) were below it without a request, and 3% (2) were above it.
In all 94 districts, 62% of immigration sentences were within the range. For all offenses in the Northern District of Indiana, the figure was 47%. The within-range share here was higher than both.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 15 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2017 | 6 | 15 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2018 | 7 | 18 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2019 | 15 | 5.8 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 8 | 15 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2021 | 5 | 24 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2022 | 5 | 24 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2023 | 9 | 9 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2024 | 7 | 14 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2025 | 19 | 6 months | 100% |
Supervised Release and Other Orders
Supervised release followed prison for 31 people (38%), with a median term of 24 months. A fine was ordered for 1 person (1%), and restitution for 1 (1%).
In criminal history, 26% were in the lowest category, category I, and 0% were in the highest, category VI.
Counts by Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 29 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 53 people. Yearly counts run from 1 person in fiscal year 2016 to 19 people in fiscal year 2025. Yearly medians run from 5.8 months in fiscal year 2019 to 24 months in fiscal years 2021 and 2022.
The records cannot show why counts or medians moved from year to year.
What the Records Cannot Show
The Commission's data covers only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not counted, and prison terms are those imposed, not time served.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Indiana (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Indiana North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Immigration" (82). 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 Northern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Northern District of Indiana, 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.