> ## 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 Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-southern-district-of-illinois/ - Published: 2026-11-04T11:16:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T11:16:00.000Z - Description: The median prison term for the 119 people sentenced for immigration offenses in the Southern District of Illinois in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 was 4.7 months. The median for this offense type in all 94 federal districts together was 7 months. All 119 pleaded guilty, and 88% of the sentences were wit - 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 Southern District of Illinois, FY20](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-southern-district-of-illinois/) › Immigration Offense: Southern District of Illinois **In brief:** The median prison term for the 119 people sentenced for immigration offenses in the Southern District of Illinois in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 was 4.7 months. The median for this offense type in all 94 federal districts together was 7 months. All 119 pleaded guilty, and 88% of the 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 119 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/). ## Short Prison Terms for Every Person Sentenced All 119 people (100%) received a prison term, and none received probation only. The median prison term was 4.7 months. A quarter received 7 months or more, and a quarter received 2.4 months or less. These terms are far shorter than the district's median of 71 months for all offenses. The Commission records the term imposed, not the time served. ## No Trials 119 of 119 people (100%) pleaded guilty. No one in this group was convicted after a trial. For this offense type in all districts, more than 99% pleaded guilty. Among the guilty pleas, 5% had a written plea agreement and 90% were straight pleas with no agreement. A straight plea means the person pleaded guilty without a written agreement with the government. The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, so acquittals and dismissed cases are not in these numbers. The percentages describe 119 people over fiscal years 2016 to 2025 and are not rates of any kind of arrest or charge. ## Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums 105 sentences (88%) were within the guideline range. 2 (2%) were below it at the government's request, and 11 (9%) were below it without that request. 1 (less than 1%) was above it. For this offense type in all districts, 62% of sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 55%. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 115 people with that information recorded. 63% of the people were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 0% were in the highest, category VI. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 6 | 4.3 months | 6 of 6 | | 2017 | 12 | 3.3 months | 100% | | 2018 | 17 | 5.1 months | 100% | | 2019 | 34 | 4.6 months | 100% | | 2020 | 17 | 3.9 months | 100% | | 2021 | 3 | 4 months | 3 of 3 | | 2022 | 5 | 6.6 months | 5 of 5 | | 2023 | 6 | 9.7 months | 6 of 6 | | 2024 | 5 | 12 months | 5 of 5 | | 2025 | 14 | 3.9 months | 100% | ## Few People Had Supervised Release or Fines Only 2 people (2%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 24 months. A fine was ordered for 3 (3%), and restitution for none. ## Which Guidelines and Which Years Immigration cases were 5% of the 2,576 people sentenced in the district. The most common primary guideline was §2L1.2 (Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States), with 106 people. §2L2.2 (Fraudulently Acquiring Documents Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status for Own Use) applied to 7, and §2L1.1 (Smuggling, Transporting, or Harboring an Unlawful Alien) to 2. Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 69 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 50\. The yearly counts range from 3 to 34, so the medians in single years rest on few people. ## What the Records Do Not Show The records do not show prior removals, the facts of each case, or any immigration court outcome. Scott AFB, Illinois, is in this district and appears in this site's court-martial data. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court. ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Illinois (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Illinois South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Immigration" (119). 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](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 Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-southern-district-of-illinois/) (overview) - [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-southern-district-of-illinois/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-southern-district-of-illinois/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-southern-district-of-illinois/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-sexual-abuse-sentences-southern-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.