Immigration · National · FY2015–FY2025
Immigration
Average imposed sentence 10.2 mo in FY2025 - shorter-third average (≤ 21 mo) among 30 offense types.
- 10.2
- Avg months FY2025
- well below the national average
- 25,102
- Federal cases
- 66%
- Within guidelines
- high guideline adherence
- 40%
- Guilty plea
The verdict
According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission FY2025 Individual Offender Datafiles, Immigration is #1 of 30 by caseload (25,102 cases) at average-sentence rank 27 of 30 (10.2 months) ≠ Murder #1 longest average at 298.8 months (caseload #15).
- #1
- Caseload of 30
- #27
- Avg sentence of 30
- 10.2 months
- This offense avg FY2025
- 25,102
- This offense cases FY2025
Caseload rank covers every district with at least one FY case. Average-sentence rank covers districts with at least 100 cases so a thin docket cannot top the list. Offense ranks cover the 30 published guideline types. Averages follow offense mix, not court character.
Immigration FY2024→FY2025: -2.3 mo
| Year | Cases | Avg (mo) | GL Min | GL Max | Within GL | Above GL | Below GL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | 25,102 | 10.2 | 18.3 | 15.1 | 66% | 9% | 25% |
| FY2024 | 18,487 | 12.5 | 17.7 | 18.8 | 57% | 8% | 35% |
| FY2023 | 19,226 | 12.5 | 18.2 | 19.9 | 53% | 6% | 42% |
| FY2022 | 17,644 | 12.7 | 18.2 | 21.1 | 50% | 4% | 46% |
| FY2021 | 16,933 | 13.3 | 18.8 | 21.9 | 50% | 3% | 47% |
| FY2020 | 26,548 | 8.2 | 14.4 | 15.3 | 60% | 2% | 38% |
| FY2019 | 29,340 | 9.6 | 15.4 | 16.3 | 62% | 3% | 35% |
| FY2018 | 23,866 | 10.6 | 16.1 | 17.3 | 63% | 3% | 34% |
Immigration · hardest district slice
Among districts with ≥5 FY2025 cases, Connecticut posts the longest average (35.4 mo, 5 cases , +247.1% vs national).
Where immigration sentences sit among all federal sentences (FY2025)
Each bar counts imposed federal prison terms in that length band; the marker is this offense's average.
10 36th percentile longer than 36% of 61,431 federal sentences
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more federal sentences. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles · FY2025
Immigration - Top District Disparities (FY2025)
District Comparison (FY2025)
Districts with ≥5 FY2025 Immigration cases. Averages still mix case factors (history, quantity, cooperation).
| District | Cases | Avg (mo) | vs. National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | 5 | 35.4 | +247.1% |
| Eastern Texas | 76 | 25.8 | +152.9% |
| Northern Illinois | 21 | 25.0 | +145.4% |
| Southern Georgia | 4 | 23.7 | +132.3% |
| Middle North Carolina | 11 | 22.7 | +122.9% |
| Northern Texas | 275 | 21.6 | +112.0% |
| Southern Indiana | 19 | 20.1 | +96.6% |
| Southern New York | 22 | 18.5 | +81.1% |
| Eastern Oklahoma | 9 | 16.0 | +57.1% |
| Western Michigan | 27 | 15.9 | +56.2% |
| Northern California | 15 | 15.8 | +54.6% |
| Eastern Kentucky | 40 | 15.5 | +51.6% |
| Western Arkansas | 4 | 15.5 | +52.0% |
| Eastern California | 17 | 15.4 | +50.6% |
| Middle Georgia | 24 | 14.9 | +45.8% |
| Colorado | 33 | 14.8 | +45.5% |
| Kansas | 48 | 14.4 | +41.6% |
| New Jersey | 49 | 14.3 | +40.5% |
| Southern Iowa | 16 | 14.0 | +37.3% |
| Puerto Rico | 102 | 13.9 | +36.7% |
Nationwide peers · caseload or average sentence
Similar FY caseload
Nearest by ABS(25,102 cases).
- Drug Trafficking · 16,180 cases · Drug Offenses
- Firearms · 8,009 cases · Firearms/Weapons
- Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement · 5,061 cases · Fraud/Financial
- Other Offenses · 1,665 cases · Other
Similar average sentence
Nearest nationwide offense types by ABS(10.2 mo here; ≥50-case types).
- Prison Offenses · 13.1 mo avg · Other
- Environmental · 7.0 mo avg · Other
- Commercialized Vice · 13.4 mo avg · Other
- National Defense · 15.8 mo avg · Other
Source: United States Sentencing Commission (USSC), Individual Offender Datafiles, FY2015–FY2025 · Methodology
What the Immigration data shows
In FY2025, 25,102 federal defendants were sentenced for immigration, with an average sentence of 10.2 months -- 41.7 months below the national average across all offenses.
- 66% of immigration sentences in FY2025 fell within the guideline range, with 25% below (downward departures or variances, often for cooperation). The below-range rate reflects how frequently prosecutors offer departure motions for substantial assistance. How the guidelines work
- The highest-average district for immigration in FY2025 was Connecticut, averaging 35.4 months -- 25.2 months above the national average. Case-specific factors within this offense (criminal history, quantity or aggravating circumstances, cooperation) drive that gap as much as any district-level pattern; the comparison below shows the full spread. Connecticut data
- The average sentence for immigration has remained stable 0.4 months since FY2018 (FY2018: 10.6 mo; FY2025: 10.2 mo). The trend chart above compares actual sentences against the guideline midpoint each year. Post-Booker sentencing trends
Descriptive USSC aggregates, not legal advice; individual sentences depend on case-specific facts.
PlainSentencing is rendered directly from the United States Sentencing Commission Individual Offender Datafiles, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. Report a data issue on this page.