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# Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-northern-district-of-new-york/
- Published: 2026-11-04T10:59:47.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T10:59:47.000Z
- Description: Immigration cases were 29% of the 3,763 people sentenced in the Northern District of New York in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, which is 1,096 people. The median prison term was 2.6 months, and 97% received a prison term. Smuggling, transporting, or harboring was the most common primary guideline.
- 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 New York, FY20](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-new-york/) › Immigration Offense: Northern District of New York

**In brief:** Immigration cases were 29% of the 3,763 people sentenced in the Northern District of New York in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, which is 1,096 people. The median prison term was 2.6 months, and 97% received a prison term. Smuggling, transporting, or harboring was the most common primary guideline.

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 1,096 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/).

## Immigration Is a Large Share of This District's Sentences

Of the 3,763 people sentenced in this district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 1,096 were in the Sentencing Commission's "Immigration" offense type. That is 29%.

The offense type is assigned from the primary guideline. The most common was §2L1.1 (Smuggling, Transporting, or Harboring an Unlawful Alien), with 417 people. Next was §2L1.2 (Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States) with 176.

## Document Guidelines Also Appear

Guidelines for immigration documents also appear. §2L2.2 (Fraudulently Acquiring Documents Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status for Own Use) was the primary guideline for 51 people. §2L2.1 (Trafficking in a Document Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status, or a United States Passport) was the primary guideline for 12.

The records list only the most common guidelines, not every guideline used in the 1,096 cases.

## Short Prison Terms

A prison term went to 1,063 of the 1,096 people (97%), and 30 (3%) received probation only. The median prison term was 2.6 months. A quarter received 8 months or more, and a quarter received 0 months or less.

For immigration cases in all 94 districts, the median was 7 months, and 95% were sent to prison. For all offenses in this district, the median was 24 months. The median for immigration here is lower than both figures.

The yearly medians in the table go from 0.2 months to 8 months. Counts per year go from 39 to 203 people.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 65               | 2.6 months    | 89%            |
| 2017        | 98               | 1.5 months    | 98%            |
| 2018        | 99               | 1.6 months    | 96%            |
| 2019        | 148              | 2.5 months    | 95%            |
| 2020        | 81               | 2.1 months    | 95%            |
| 2021        | 39               | 8 months      | 100%           |
| 2022        | 59               | 3.8 months    | 98%            |
| 2023        | 141              | 4 months      | 100%           |
| 2024        | 203              | 4.9 months    | more than 99%  |
| 2025        | 163              | 0.2 months    | 99%            |

## Guilty Pleas Without Written Agreements

Of the 1,096 people, 1,067 (97%) pleaded guilty, and 29 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 2.5 months after a guilty plea and 8 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 21 people who were convicted at trial and sent to prison.

Only 51% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 46% were straight pleas with no agreement. The records do not explain why so many pleas had no written agreement.

## Sentences Within the Guideline Range

The guideline range is the sentencing range calculated under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. Of the 1,088 people with the information recorded, 819 (75%) were sentenced within it. For all 94 districts, the share was 62%.

Below the range at the government's request were 143 (13%), and below the range without a government request were 117 (11%). Above the range were 9 (less than 1%).

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 136 of the 759 people with that information recorded (18%).

## Supervised Release and Other Orders

Supervised release after prison was ordered for 315 people (29%), with a median term of 24 months. A fine was ordered for 61 people (6%), and restitution for 2 (less than 1%).

In criminal history, 85% were in the lowest category, category I, and less than 1% were in the highest, category VI.

## Caseload by Period and Military Courts

The district sentenced 410 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 686 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. The records do not show why the count grew.

Fort Drum, New York, is in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court, and these federal numbers are reported on their own. The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, and prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of New York (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New York North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Immigration" (1,096). 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 New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-new-york/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-northern-district-of-new-york/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-northern-district-of-new-york/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-northern-district-of-new-york/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-sentences-northern-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.