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# Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-western-district-of-north-carolina/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:02:17.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:02:17.000Z
- Description: The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 491 people sentenced for immigration offenses in the Western District of North Carolina in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 8 months, compared with 7 months in all 94 districts. Most plea agreements were not written: 82% of guilty pleas wer
- 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 Western District of North Carolina,](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-north-carolina/) › Immigration Offense: Western District of North Carolina

**In brief:** The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 491 people sentenced for immigration offenses in the Western District of North Carolina in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. The median prison term was 8 months, compared with 7 months in all 94 districts. Most plea agreements were not written: 82% of guilty pleas were straight pleas with no agreement.

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 491 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 Are the Norm in This Category

Of the 491 people, 478 (97%) received a prison term, and 9 (2%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 8 months. A quarter received 15 months or more, and a quarter received 4.3 months or less.

The median for immigration offenses in all 94 districts was 7 months, and 95% of people were sent to prison. The district's median for all offense types was 57 months, so immigration terms were much shorter than the district's overall median.

## Which Guidelines Applied

Immigration is the Commission's offense category. It is assigned from the primary sentencing guideline. In this district, §2L1.2 (Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States) was the primary guideline for 440 people.

Other guidelines were §2L2.1 (Trafficking in a Document Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status, or a United States Passport) with 29 people, and §2L2.2 (Fraudulently Acquiring Documents Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status for Own Use) with 16\. Only 2 people were sentenced under §2L1.1 (Smuggling, Transporting, or Harboring an Unlawful Alien).

## Plea Agreements Were Uncommon

A total of 484 people (99%) pleaded guilty, and 7 were convicted after a trial. Among those who pleaded guilty, 17% had a written plea agreement and 82% were straight pleas with no agreement.

The median prison term was 8 months after a guilty plea and 5.1 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 6 people convicted at trial and sent to prison, which is too few to support a comparison.

## Sentences Against the Guideline Range

For 487 people with the information, 388 (80%) were sentenced within the guideline range. Another 57 (12%) were below the range without a government request, and 28 (6%) were below it at the government's request. A total of 14 (3%) were above the range.

In all districts, 62% of immigration sentences were within the range. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 12 of the 487 people (2%).

## Counts and Medians by Fiscal Year

The district sentenced 251 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 240 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. The yearly count was 75 in fiscal year 2016 and 24 in fiscal year 2025.

The median prison term was 12 months in fiscal year 2016 and 4 months in fiscal year 2025\. The records cannot show why the counts and medians changed.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 75               | 12 months     | 99%            |
| 2017        | 43               | 13.3 months   | 100%           |
| 2018        | 65               | 9.6 months    | 98%            |
| 2019        | 68               | 7.1 months    | 100%           |
| 2020        | 73               | 4.7 months    | 99%            |
| 2021        | 49               | 8 months      | 98%            |
| 2022        | 41               | 7.3 months    | 100%           |
| 2023        | 36               | 8.5 months    | 92%            |
| 2024        | 17               | 5.4 months    | 100%           |
| 2025        | 24               | 4 months      | 100%           |

## Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History

Supervised release after prison was ordered for 350 people (71%), and the median term was 12 months. A fine was ordered for 5 (1%), and restitution for 1 (less than 1%).

In criminal history, 32% were in the lowest category (category I) and less than 1% were in the highest (category VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## What Is Not in the Numbers

The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not included. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served, and the data does not show any later immigration proceedings.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of North Carolina (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "N Carolina West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Immigration" (491). 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 Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-north-carolina/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-western-district-of-north-carolina/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-western-district-of-north-carolina/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-western-district-of-north-carolina/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Robbery Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-robbery-sentences-western-district-of-north-carolina/) (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.