Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Southern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025
293 people were sentenced for immigration offenses in the Southern District of Iowa in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, which is 7% of the 4,208 people sentenced in the district. 290 (99%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 8 months. For all 94 federal districts, the median was 7 month
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Iowa, FY2016–2 › Immigration Offense: Southern District of Iowa
In brief: 293 people were sentenced for immigration offenses in the Southern District of Iowa in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, which is 7% of the 4,208 people sentenced in the district. 290 (99%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 8 months. For all 94 federal districts, the median was 7 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 293 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.
Short Prison Terms, With a Wide Top Range
Among the 290 people sent to prison, the median prison term was 8 months. A quarter received 16 months or more, and a quarter received 5.3 months or less. The median for all 94 districts was 7 months, which is about the same.
The median for all offenses in the Southern District of Iowa was 80 months, so immigration terms were far shorter than the district's overall median. 1 person received probation only. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
Most Cases Were Unlawful Entry or Remaining
The leading primary guideline was §2L1.2 (Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States), with 270 people. Next was §2L2.2 (Fraudulently Acquiring Documents Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status for Own Use), with 20 people.
§2L1.1 (Smuggling, Transporting, or Harboring an Unlawful Alien) applied to 1 person. The records here describe the charge category only. They do not describe any individual's circumstances.
Guilty Pleas Without Written Agreements
292 of the 293 people (more than 99%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. Among the guilty pleas, 13% had a written plea agreement, and 87% were straight pleas with no agreement.
The median prison term after a guilty plea here was 8 months. The one person convicted at trial received 0 months, which is a single case and not a pattern.
Within the Guideline Range
209 people (71%) were sentenced within the guideline range. 62 (21%) were below it without a government request, and 19 (6%) were below it at the government's request. 3 (1%) were above the range.
Across all 94 districts, 62% of immigration sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 37% were within it. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 4 of the 291 people with that information recorded (1%).
Supervised Release and Criminal History
111 people (38%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 2 people, and restitution for none (0%).
On criminal history, 27% were in the lowest category, and 2% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so this cannot be compared with military cases.
Fewer Cases After Fiscal Year 2020
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 200 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 93 people. The table shows 58 people in fiscal year 2017 and 8 in fiscal year 2024. Medians in the table run from 6 months in fiscal year 2018 to 19.5 months in fiscal year 2024.
The records show that case counts changed in this period. They do not show why, and they do not show whether fewer cases were filed, referred, or sentenced in this district.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 39 | 6.8 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 58 | 7 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 59 | 6 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 44 | 8.4 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 37 | 7 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 11 | 15 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 10 | 10 months | 90% |
| 2023 | 11 | 12 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 8 | 19.5 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2025 | 16 | 12 months | 100% |
What the Records Cannot Show
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Iowa (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Iowa South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Immigration" (293). 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 (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Southern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Iowa, 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.